The fire started on August 31, 2022, and proceeded to destroy ten structures and eventually grow to 4,456 acres (1,803 ha) within the rugged chaparral-dense hillsides throughout the area.

[2] The area in which the Border 32 Fire has had a long and destructive history with severe wildfires throughout the San Diego County backcountry along Highway 94 leading into the town of Potrero.

[3] Evacuations orders were immediately put in place for the small community as the fire rapidly burned through the cheatgrass and into the dense chaparral along the mountainsides and up toward Potrero Peak.

[5] Throughout the day, the fire would continue to rapidly expand as it destroyed thousands more acres before sundown, crossing much of Highway 94 and proceeding to burn towards the community of Potrero.

[7] Evacuation order remained in place for much of the area, although residents west of Cochera Via Drive and east of Potrero Valley Road — near the outer edges of the fire — were allowed to return home as by this time over 400 firefighting personnel were containing flareups and hotspots within the burned out landscape.