Updated: 3:43 p.m. July 21

First discovered: 50 hours ago, 12:57 p.m. July 19

Initial location: Wood Ranch Road, North of Redway, Humboldt County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Humboldt-Del Norte Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Woods Fire

Woods Fire initially started 12:57 p.m. July 19 on Wood Ranch Road, North of Redway in Humboldt County, California.

By Tuesday afternoon, it had ravaged 13.5 acres. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire crew succeeded in containing 80% 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 80% contained?

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