Important Information You Need About Wyoming Wildfire Containment

Social media users can be harsh to others who may not have a great understanding of specific topics.

Over the last couple of weeks, since the hurricanes have hit and caused significant damage in the southeastern parts of the country, I have seen numerous posts trying to bring attention to the fires burning in Wyoming and how devastating they are. I assume some people haven't heard much about wildfires and are just learning some of the terminology.

Take wildfire containment, for instance.

I saw a post in which one person criticized another for not fully understanding the containment of a wildfire and what the percentage contained meant.

Since the Elk and Pack Trail fires have gained national attention, I hope everyone understands how much effort crews have put into fighting them. In today's world, not only is there a fight on the ground and in the air to get these fires under control, but there's also a fight to get as much accurate information out to the public as soon as possible.

To get accurate information and details, I turned to the Western Fire Chiefs Association to pass on the information about wildfire containment.

Wildfire containment

refers to crews' efforts to suppress the fire. Containment doesn't mean things are safe; a control line has been placed around the fire, and the fire shouldn't be able to move across that line. Even if a fire is 100% contained, that doesn't mean the fire is out. This means that the crews have gotten a control line around the fire. There are still chances that the fire can jump the line with the help of factors like wind.

Wildfire containment vs. controlled

When reports mention that a fire is, for instance, 25% contained, fire crews have a controlled line around 25% of the fire's perimeter. The fire will not be declared "contained" until they are confident it will not travel the control lines. A fire is classified as "contained" when completely circled with controlled lines.

A controlled fire has been 100% contained, extinguished inside the contained area, and hot spots have cooled down.

This Bighorn National Forest Facebook page map shows the thick black containment line compared to the uncontained red line. This map is an excellent example of how to know the difference. The map shows a 27% containment on that particular date. Again, this can change between media updates from officials.

I hope this helps you understand the wildfire contained vs. controlled conversation.