Updated: 10:07 a.m. July 12

First discovered: 3 days ago, 2:18 p.m. July 9

Initial location: Henry Mayo Drive and Pico Canyon Road, Piru, Ventura County, Calif.

Fire unit: Ventura County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Grande Fire

Grande Fire initially started 2:18 p.m. July 9 at Henry Mayo Drive and Pico Canyon Road, Piru in Ventura County, California.

As of Sunday morning, it had swept through 30.3 acres. By Sunday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 90% of this wildfire. At this time, details about the cause of the fire are unknown.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 90% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 90% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 10% 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