Today’s map showing the distribution of wildfire smoke across the U.S. looks a lot better than it has since we looked at it last. Part of the reason is that at least 60% to 70% of the Wallow fire is not actively spreading. Wallow fire officials are calling it 20% contained. (Update: the official containment was raised to 29% at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.)
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s definition of “Containment”:
The status of a wildfire suppression action signifying that a control line has been completed around the fire, and any associated spot fires, which can reasonably be expected to stop the fire’s spread.
Some fire teams confuse that with Control, which the NWCG defines like this:
The completion of control line around a fire, any spot fires therefrom, and any interior islands to be saved; burned out any unburned area adjacent to the fire side of the control lines; and cool down all hot spots that are immediate threats to the control line, until the lines can reasonably be expected to hold under the foreseeable conditions.
