Updated: 7:45 p.m. Aug. 25

First discovered: 23 hours ago, 8:39 p.m. Aug. 24

Initial location: Siskiyou County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Davis

Davis Fire initially started 8:39 p.m. Aug. 24 in Siskiyou County, California and it is a part of SKU LATE AUGUST LIGHTNING COMPLEX fire.

Since its discovery 23 hours ago, it has burned 0.5 acres of private land. As of Monday evening, 40% of the fire was brought under containment. The cause remains undetermined.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 40% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 40% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 60% 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: National Interagency Fire Center