Updated: 1:53 p.m. Aug. 17

First discovered: 6 weeks ago, 9:37 p.m. July 1

Initial location: Shasta County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Green

Green Fire initially started 9:37 p.m. July 1 in Shasta County, 13 Miles E From Lakehead.

It has burned 19,022 acres of federal land managed by the United States Forest Service after being active for six weeks. By Sunday afternoon, a fire crew of 14 has achieved full containment of the blaze. The fire is thought to have originated from natural causes. So far, the expenses for combating the wildfire is $71,463,512.

The main fuel for the fire consists of two-foot brush.

What to expect when two-foot brush is fueling a wildfire

Due to the density and flammability of brush vegetation, brush fires create moderate to high intensity flames. Containment efforts might be challenging, especially in dry and windy conditions, as such wildfire tends to spread rapidly. There’s an increased risk of ember production, which can lead to spot fires as well as brush fuels produce dense smoke.

Fire containment

What does 100% containment mean?

Note that full containment doesn’t mean the fire is completely out. In this case, it means that the wildfire has been fully enclosed by a control line and it is now stopped from spreading. A fully contained wildfire may continue to burn within the containment perimeter but is not likely to spread.

However, there’s a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. After the fire is fully contained, the next step is to control it. Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can’t spread or cross the containment line.

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