Update: 3-6 Fire in Lassen County - containment reaches 12%

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Updated: 7:55 a.m. July 18

First discovered: 3 days ago, 7:05 p.m. July 15

Initial location: Little Valley Road and Spring Gulch Road, 12 miles southeast of Bieber, Lassen County, Calif.

Fire unit: Cal Fire Lassen-Modoc Unit

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: 3-6 Fire

3-6 Fire initially started 7:05 p.m. July 15 at Little Valley Road and Spring Gulch Road, 12 miles southeast of Bieber in Lassen County, California.

As of Saturday morning, 205.2 acres of land had been consumed by it. By Saturday morning, the fire crew effectively contained 12% of this wildfire. At present, there are no details on the cause of the fire.

Fire containment

What does it mean for a fire to be 12% contained?

The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line. In this case, it means that 12% of the wildfire is halted from spreading, while 88% 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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This story was originally published July 18, 2026 at 8:17 AM.