Updated: 6:02 p.m. Aug. 27

First discovered: 3 days ago, 11:46 a.m. Aug. 24

Initial location: Lassen County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: R-3

R-3 Fire initially started 11:46 a.m. Aug. 24 in Lassen County, 3 Miles E From Susanville.

Since its discovery three days ago, it has burned 145 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. By Wednesday evening, a fire crew of 51 has achieved full containment of the blaze. The cause remains undetermined. So far, the expenses for combating this fire amount to $250,000.

Short grass, measuring one foot, is the primary fuel for the wildfire.

Insights into wildfire behavior with short grass as fuel

Due to the easily ignitable nature of short grass, a fire will spread rapidly, but it will consume the available fuel quickly, resulting in relatively short burn times. The flames have low to moderate intensity compared to wildfires fueled by heavier vegetation. During periods of high winds or low humidity, there’s a potential for increased fire behavior. Grassland fires create minimal smoke and there’s reduced risk of deep-seated hotspots compared to wildfires burning on heavier fuels.

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 firefighters have managed to get a line completely around the wildfire’s perimeter 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: National Interagency Fire Center