The fire started around 2:30 pm PST on January 23, 2025, amid a strong Santa Ana event,[3] and was located in parched chaparral and rugged terrain, allowing the fire to grow rapidly.

[citation needed] The fire, named the Border 2 Fire due to it being the second fire of significance to ignite near the U.S.-Mexico border in 2025, started at around 2:30 pm PST and proceeded to burn 600 acres atop Otay Mountain through much of the afternoon at "dangerous rate" of spread.

[5] Throughout its first night, it displayed extreme fire behavior as it exploded to several thousand acres due to the wind and inaccessible terrain.

[6] This growth prompted mandatory evacuations of rural communities north, east and west of the fire area, including parts of Chula Vista and Jamul.

[1] This article incorporates text from https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/23/border-2-fire, a public domain work of the Government of California.