Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable

experts and genuinely engaging voices. What you may not know is that the BBC

makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

Thanks for downloading this edition of More or Less in the World Service. We hope you enjoy it.

Hello, I'm Jordan Dunbar and welcome to more or less on the BBC World Service.

Insert your Tim Harford style number joke here.

This week we received an email that we thought needed an answer.

Love your program.

Have been a faithful listener for years.

Here's a question for your consideration.

Here in California we're suffering horrific fires. What does it mean when we're told that a fire is say

50% contained? Does it mean it'll soon be extinguished? Thank you. Dan Keller.

As of December, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service

have fought 8,871 fires in 2017. The fires covered areas totaling over 1 million acres. In October 2017,

20,000 people in North California had to be evacuated due to wildfires.

In December 2017, the downslope winds known as the Santa Ana were unusually powerful,

causing wildfires would break out in the southern part of the state.

Currently, the largest fire is the Thomas fire, which has at the time of broadcast grown to

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