Updated: 6:26 p.m. Aug. 16

First discovered: 9 days ago, 7:04 p.m. Aug. 7

Initial location: Highway 96 at Norton Creek, north of Hoopa, Humboldt County, Calif.

Fire unit: BIA Hoopa Valley Tribe

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Mp18 Fire

Mp18 Fire initially started at 7:04 p.m. Aug. 7 at Highway 96 at Norton Creek, north of Hoopa in Humboldt County, California.

As of Sunday evening, it had ravaged 6,277.2 acres, an increase of 577 acres since the last update. By Sunday evening, the fire crew effectively contained 19% of this wildfire. At this time, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does 19% containment mean?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 19% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 81% 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