Updated: 9:41 a.m. July 15

First discovered: 49 hours ago, 8:20 a.m. July 13

Initial location: Chute Ravine near Dobbins, Yuba County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Chute Fire

Chute Fire initially started 8:20 a.m. July 13 in Chute Ravine near Dobbins, Yuba County in Yuba County, California.

By Wednesday morning, it had swept through nine acres. As of Wednesday morning, the fire crew managed to contain 20% of the fire. At this time, details about the cause of the fire are unknown.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 20% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 20% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 80% is still uncontrolled.

Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire. It is normally expressed as a percentage and it refers to how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded/enclosed by a control line that firefighters create. The containment percentage indicates a certain level of control, but it doesn’t always correlate to safety level. Also, it’s important to note that containment doesn’t mean a fire is out.

How is containment measured?

The incident’s central command constantly receives progress reports from firefighters on the ground. As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage. The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.

Source: Cal Fire