Updated: 5:15 p.m. Aug. 16

First discovered: 8 days ago, 1:02 p.m. Aug. 8

Initial location: Holser Canyon Rd, north of City of Piru, Ventura County, Calif.

Fire unit: Ventura County Fire Department

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Holser Fire

Holser Fire initially started at 1:02 p.m. Aug. 8 on Holser Canyon Rd, north of City of Piru in Ventura County, California.

By Sunday evening, 167 acres of land had been consumed by it. As of Sunday evening, 95% of this wildfire was brought under containment. Currently, details about the cause of the fire are unknown.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 95% contained?

Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 95% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 5% 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