Contained doesn't mean that the fire is almost out. When a fire is 85 percent contained, that means that 85 percent of the fire is contained from spreading while 15 percent is still burning out of control, AccuWeather said.
After the fire is contained, then comes the next step of controlling it. This involves strengthening the control line to make sure the fire can't grow. Once it is controlled, it can burn until it's out, according to AccuWeather. A fire is considered to be out when no hot spots are detected in the controlled area for several days.