LOYALTON, Calif. – The Elephant Fire has now burned 13,016 acres north of Tahoe and stands at 31% containment.

The fire started Saturday afternoon, drawing fire resources from the Tahoe area. In its path, the fire has burned areas of the Lassen, Plumas and Sierra counties, originally igniting near Hwy 49 northeast of Loyalton, Calif.

Crews maximized the cooler and wetter weather window earlier this week to expand containment. They succeeded in gaining 42%, up from 5% previously reported.

In recent days, the containment number has dropped to 31%, however, sources explain that is due to map updates and say firefighers are still making great progress.

In Thursday’s report, Ernie Villa, Operations Sections Chief said most containment is located on the west side of the fire. The north perimeter still has isolated heat along the fire’s edge. Crews are working to mop up and secure the eastern side.

Smoke and flames will continue to be visible, Villa explains, because the fire is burning an island of green within the fire footprint.

Villa says, “Like all challenging things in life, we’re going to take it one bite at a time.”