[3] Much of Southern California area that had been stricken by a prolonged drought and was in the midst of experiencing a severe heatwave which further exacerbated conditions during the week of the fire.

The fireline immediately exhibited extreme-to-critical growth as the first reports indicated the fire covered 20 acres and was rapidly expanding to the south and west toward Simpson Park and nearby rural residences.

[8][9] By 10:40 p.m. PDT that evening, the fireline had reportedly expanded to 2,703 acres and had already destroyed seven structures and killed two civilians while severely injuring another.

By this time, the fire was still burning amid a severe heatwave as firefighting conditions remained critical with the flaming front headed toward Cactus and Bautista Canyon.

[13] Flames continued to aggressively push southeastward on September 8, from Highway 74 down to rural communities in the Sage Creek area.

[16] In the afternoon, a helicopter assisting with operations in the fire crashed while attempting to land at the Banning Airport, moderately injuring three firefighting personnel.

[18] The two had died in their vehicle while attempting to escape the fire while fleeing to a home in the 42400 block of Avery Canyon Road.

[8] Due to the dramatic and explosive growth of the wildfire in such a short period of time, authorities recognized the immediate need for all the surrounding rural communities to evacuate, thus mandatory evacuation orders were placed for all residents south of Stetson Avenue, north of Cactus Valley Road, west of Fairview Avenue and east of State Street.