Updated: 7:49 p.m. Aug. 26

First discovered: 3 hours ago, 4:17 p.m. Aug. 26

Initial location: Siskiyou County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Brownell

Brownell Fire initially started today at 4:17 p.m. in Siskiyou County, California and it is a part of SKU LATE AUGUST LIGHTNING COMPLEX fire.

After being active for three hours, it has burned 4.8 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an increase of five acres since the last update. As of Tuesday evening, the fire crew effectively contained 20% of this wildfire. The cause remains undetermined.

Fire containment

Interpreting what 20% containment means

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 20% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 80% 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: National Interagency Fire Center