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Since You Asked: Distinct difference between 'containment' and 'control' Wednesday Jun 28, 2017 at 12:01 AM The word “contained” is often used in reports on wildfires. I understand that “contained” does not mean extinguished, but rather that the fire has essentially been encircled by containment lines and will not spread farther. Do you get to 100 percent containment only when you’re absolutely certain it won’t spread, or have there been cases where you have to revise that percentage because it has jumped a line? — No name This phrasing is something wildland firefighters have to clear up often. We'll let Oregon Department of Forestry public information officer Melissa Cano answer for us: "When we use the word 'contained,' we use it carefully," Cano said. "Only when we have absolute certainty that we can walk away from that fire and nothing will happen. It is a done deal."  Compare that to a control line. A control line could be dug around 100 percent of the fire, but firefighters may only consider it 5 or 10 percent contained at first because of the interior activity. "A control line is done quickly. It's done as fast as we can to get a line around the fire," Cano said. With full containment, there is also aggressive mop-up that pushes far enough into the fire's interior that firefighters are certain the blaze won't reignite. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.