Update: Nearly full contained Curry Fire in Santa Clara County, now at 90%

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Updated: 9:58 p.m. May 6

First discovered: 4 hours ago, 5:48 p.m. May 6

Initial location: Bernal Road and Heaton Moor Drive, San Jose, Santa Clara County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Curry Fire

Curry Fire initially started today at 5:48 p.m. at Bernal Road and Heaton Moor Drive, San Jose in Santa Clara County, California.

It has burned 19 acres after being active for four hours. As of Wednesday evening, the fire crew effectively contained 90% of the wildfire. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.

See live video from the area:

Https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?id=Axis-SanJoseFoothills

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 90% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 90% of the wildfire is contained from spreading, while 10% 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

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