because of the dryness of the summer, fires were common in the woods, along railroad tracks and in logging camps where loggers would set fire to their slash to clean up the area before moving on. some loggers, of course left their debris behind, giving any fire more fuel on which to grow. saturday, september 1st, 1894 began as another oppressively hot day with fires surrounding the towns and two major fires that were burning about five miles (8 km) to the south. to add to the problem, the temperature inversion that day added to the heat, smoke and gases being held down by the huge layer of cool air above. the two fires managed to join together to make one large fire with flames that licked through the inversion finding the cool air above. that air came rushing down into the fires to create a vortex or tornado of flames which then began to move quickly and grew larger and larger turning into a fierce firestorm. the fire first destroyed the towns of mission creek and brook park before coming into the town of hinckley. when it was over the firestorm had completely destroyed six towns, and over lay black and smoldering. the firestorm was so devastating that it lasted only four hours but destroyed everything in its path.