What does ‘5% contained’ mean when it comes to fires?

Question

& how do firefighters ‘contain’ a fire and keep it contained?

[This is the fire I’m referencing.](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/9/5/fairview-fire/)

In: 2

Answer 1

The percentage contained is the amount of the perimeter of the fire area that they have a control line of which the fire won’t cross. So, if a fire is 25% contained, 1/4 of the perimeter has been stopped from spreading further with the control lines.