Update: Palm Fire in Fresno County nears full containment at 99%

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Updated: 6:05 a.m. June 7

First discovered: 12 hours ago, 6:01 p.m. June 6

Initial location: Coalinga, Palmer Road and Derrick Bouelvard, Fresno County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Fresno-Kings Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Palm Fire

Palm Fire initially started 6:01 p.m. June 6 at Coalinga, Palmer Road and Derrick Bouelvard in Fresno County, California.

It has burned 11 acres after being active for 12 hours. A crew of three firefighters effectively contained 99% of the fire by Sunday morning. The cause of it is still under investigation.

Among other resources, an engine has also been assigned to fight the wildfire. According to Cal Fire, "Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow."

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 99% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 99% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 1% 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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