Updated: 9:13 a.m. Dec. 30

First discovered: 4 months ago, 9:36 a.m. Aug. 29

Initial location: Trinity County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire, Type 2

Fire name: Lick

Lick Fire initially started 9:36 a.m. Aug. 29 at 4 Miles Nw From Trinity Center, and it is a part of SWIFT COMPLEX fire.

It has burned 36 acres of federal land managed by the United States Forest Service after being active for four months. As of Tuesday morning, a crew of 96 firefighters has achieved full containment of the blaze. The fire is thought to have originated from natural causes. To date, the expenses for managing the wildfire is $1,800,000.

The main fuel for this wildfire is 2.5-foot tall grass.

NIFC Fire Complexity Analysis

This wildfire is considered to be a Type 2 incident. What it means:

• A Type 2 team can be ordered in a short or long configuration. The national standard configuration is the same for all teams. GACCs may adjust the makeup of teams for use in their areas.

• The incident extends into multiple operational periods.

• Operations personnel often exceed 200 per operational period and total personnel will usually exceed 500 (numbers are guidelines only).

• A written action plan is required for each operational period.

• Many of the functional units are needed and staffed.

• The agency administrator will have regular briefings and ensure that WFSAs and delegation of authority are updated.

• Divisions established for span of control are usually established to geographically facilitate work assignments.

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 firefighters have managed to get a line completely around the wildfire’s perimeter 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