Updated: 6:38 p.m. April 18

First discovered: 49 hours ago, 5:01 p.m. April 16

Initial location: Avenue H-8 & 95th Street East, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, Calif.

Fire unit: LA County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Ember Fire

Ember Fire initially started 5:01 p.m. April 16 at Avenue H-8 & 95th Street East, Lancaster in Los Angeles County, California.

It has burned 427.5 acres after being active for two days. By Saturday evening, the fire crew succeeded in containing 70% of the wildfire. Investigations into its cause are still ongoing.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 70% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 70% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 30% 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