Crews are making steady progress in the battle against the Palisades and Eaton fires – seemingly with each new day bringing more confidence in containment.
But what exactly do those figures mean?
Controlling how contained the edge or perimeter of a fire refers to how contained it is to the extent that firefighters believe the fire can be stopped from spreading. groups Create control lines Use of natural barriers and man-made barriers.
A natural barrier can be a river or creek. A road or highway can be another obstacle. Human interventions can help control fires, such as using a bulldozer to clear vegetation on a plot of land, depriving the fire of fuel it can use to grow.
Controlling percentage Simply firefighters The public trusts that the fire perimeter will not extend beyond their safety.
That's why even if a fire is 100% extinguished, it's still burning and firefighters are there to make sure it doesn't get out of control.
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Containment of the Eaton Fire, which has burned more than 14,100 acres in Pasadena and Altadena, rose to 55% containment Thursday morning, up from 45% a day earlier. The Palisades Fire, which has burned 23,700 acres, was 22% contained Thursday morning, down from 17% a day earlier. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
But officials stressed there is still a lot of work to be done in the fire zones before residents can return.
After the fire is 100% contained — which could take several months depending on weather, the size of the fire and the topography of the area — crews are working toward declaring the fire “contained,” a Cal Fire spokeswoman previously told the Times.
When a fire is contained, it is essentially extinguished. Officials will no longer assign crews to put out fires, instead sending out a patrol every day to make sure the burned areas don't rekindle and start another fire.