First discovered: 5 hours ago, 1:30 p.m. Sep. 2

Initial location: Moraga Avenue and Cherokee Road, Merced County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Moraga Fire

A new wildfire was reported today at 1:30 p.m. in Merced County, California.

After being active for five hours, Moraga Fire has burned 210 acres. A crew of 21 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 45% of the fire as of Tuesday evening. However, the cause is still under investigation.

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

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 45% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 45% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 55% 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