Updated: 6:17 a.m. Aug. 6

First discovered: 10 hours ago, 7:26 p.m. Aug. 5

Initial location: Jewels Vista Drive and Highway 41, Yosemite Lakes, Madera County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Jewel Fire

Jewel Fire initially started 7:26 p.m. Aug. 5 in Madera County, California.

Since its discovery 10 hours ago, it has burned 15 acres. By Wednesday morning, 20% of the fire was brought under containment by a crew of 55 firefighters. However, the cause is still under investigation.

Firefighting efforts include 11 engines, three water tenders, one helicopter, two dozers and two hand crews. According to Cal Fire, “Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.”

See live video from the area:

Https://ops.alertcalifornia.org/cam-console/Axis-OwensMtn

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 20% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 20% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 80% 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