Updated: 5:48 p.m. July 28

First discovered: 29 hours ago, 12:44 p.m. July 27

Initial location: North of Caliente Bodfish Road & East of Bena Road, Keene, Kern County, Calif.

Fire unit: Kern County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Fish Fire

Fish Fire initially started 12:44 p.m. July 27 at North of Caliente Bodfish Road & East of Bena Road, Keene in Kern County, California.

By Tuesday evening, it had scorched 4,207 acres. As of Tuesday evening, the fire crew effectively contained 27% of this fire. There is currently no information on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

This is what 27% containment means

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 27% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 73% 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