Updated: 1:10 p.m. April 3

First discovered: 26 hours ago, 11:03 a.m. April 2

Initial location: Lincoln Avenue and 68th Avenue, Mecca., Riverside County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Riverside Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: 68 Fire

68 Fire initially started 11:03 a.m. April 2 in Riverside County.

Since its discovery 26 hours ago, it has burned 13.3 acres. As of Thursday afternoon, a fire crew of 30 successfully contained the entire fire. The cause is, however, still being investigated.

Seven engines and three water tenders have been working to suppress the fire. According to Cal Fire, “Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.”

Cal Fire status update

Situation Summary

Firefighters are on scene for a vegetation fire;   heavy brush burning at a moderate rate of spread with winds. Additional ground resources have been requested with an anticipated extended commitment time. Morongo Fire Department is assisting with one engine. Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has been requested.

Update 1:30 p.m.: An evacuation order has been issued for zone RVC-2190-A; north of Avenue 69, south of Avenue 67, west of Lincoln street, and east of Avenue 86.

Update: 4:00 p.m.: The Evacuation Order has been downgraded to an Evacuation Warning. Please use caution when returning to the area as Firefighters remain on scene working on fire suppression.

Update: 7:21 p.m.: The Evacuation Warning for zone RVC-2190-A has been lifted for the fire. Avenue 68 from Lincoln to Highway 111 remains closed. Due to better mapping the fire has been changed to 13 acres and is 92% contained. Crews will remain at scene mopping up and will be patrolling throughout the night and tomorrow for any hotspots. This will be the last update for the night unless there is a significant change.

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 the whole perimeter of the wildfire has been surrounded by a control line 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: Cal Fire