Updated: 7:41 a.m. July 30

First discovered: 17 hours ago, 2:23 p.m. July 29

Initial location: Auberry Road cross of Highway 168, Fresno County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Fresno-Kings Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Raleigh Fire

Raleigh Fire initially started 2:23 p.m. July 29 at Auberry Road cross of Highway 168 in Fresno County, California.

As of Thursday morning, it had ravaged 30 acres. By Thursday morning, the fire crew effectively contained 60% of this wildfire. Currently, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 60% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 60% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 40% 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