On September 16 , three days after starting , the fire had spread to forcing the evacuation of over five hundred homes A handcrew of 10 inmates and a Fire Captain were saved from being overrun when they were led to safety by a helicopter that was staged at the nearby Swansboro Country Airport . By September 18 , the fire had expanded to , becoming the second largest wildfire of the 2014 California wildfire season . As a result of this growth , the mandatory evacuation order was expanded to 20,000 homes
2014 California wildfire season
2014 California wildfires
King Fire