Updated: 6:44 a.m. July 26

First discovered: More than a month ago, 1:52 p.m. June 15

Initial location: San Diego County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire, Type 3

Fire name: Mateo

Mateo Fire initially started 1:52 p.m. June 15 in San Diego County, 10 miles north from Camp Pendleton.

It has burned 1,335 acres of federal land managed by the U.S. Department of Defence after being active for more than a month. As of Sunday morning, the blaze has been fully contained by a crew of 218 firefighters. Although the wildfire is thought to be caused by human activity, the exact event that caused it has yet to be determined. The cost of addressing the fire has reached $2,119,000 so far, while the projected final expense stands at $2,200,000.

Historic data

NIFC statistics for 2024 show that 8,011 fires in California were caused by humans, resulting in 990,939 acres of wildland burned.

NIFC Fire Complexity Analysis

This wildfire is considered to be a Type 3 incident. What it means:

• Resources are usually local and some or all of the command and general staff positions may be activated, usually at the division/group supervisor and/or unit leader level. Units may have a predetermined Type 3 organization designated.

• Type 3 organizations manage initial attack fires with a significant number of resources, an extended attack fire until containment/control is achieved or an escaped fire until a Type 1 or 2 team assumes command.

• Initial briefing and closeout are more formal.

• Resources vary from several resources to several task forces/strike teams.

• The incident may be divided into divisions.

• The incident may involve multiple operational periods prior to control, which may require a written Incident Action Plan (IAP).

• A documented operational briefing will be completed for all incoming resources and before each operational period. Refer to Incident Response Pocket Guide for outline.

• Staging areas and a base may be used.

• By completing an Incident Complexity Analysis, a fire manager can assess the hazards and complexities of an incident and determine the specific positions needed (e. G, if sensitive public/media relationships are evident, then an information officer should be ordered as part of the team).

• When using a Type 3 organization or incident command organization, a manager must avoid using them beyond the Type 3 complexity level.

• A Type 3 IC will not serve concurrently as a single

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