UPDATE: Hathaway Fire NE of Banning Estimated 3,520 Acres, 43 Percent Contained

Update 7:41 p.m. On a day when the Hathaway Fire incident commander told the public "There is no way of knowing exactly when we will finish our work," the five-day fire was mapped at an estimated 3,520 acres and considered 43 percent contained before sundown Thursday June 13.

Eight firefighters had sustained minor injuries battling the blaze in the steep, rugged San Gorgonio Wilderness at elevations up to 7,900 feet above sea level, according to fire commanders in Beaumont.

Total personnel assigned to the fire were counted at 1,372. To date one structure had been destroyed, and it was described as an outbuilding at the communications site near the 7,920-foot summit of Snow Peak.

Growth potential for the Hathaway Fire remained high, interagency commanders said. The fire broke out shortly before noon Sunday June 9 on the north edge of the Morongo Indian Reservation. The cause was being investigated by Cal Fire, according to a Forest Service spokesman.

Posted 8:41 a.m. The Hathaway Fire burning in mountains northeast of Banning increased in size overnight to an estimated at 3,326 acres, unified command officials in Beaumont said Thursday morning.

The fire was still considered to be 40 percent contained, with full containment expected June 25. There were 1,483 personnel assigned to the blaze as of 8 a.m. June 13.

Six firefighters have sustained minor injuries since the fire broke out before noon Sunday on the north edge of Morongo Indian Reservation, according to Thursday morning's update. The fire has burned through dense chaparral and live and dead timber on rugged steeps in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

One structure, described as an outbuilding, has been destroyed at the Snow Peak communications site. Threats to the San Gorgonio flume that channels water to Banning have been minimized, according to fire officials.

Growth potential for the Hathaway Fire remains high, fire officials said.

There were 16 helicopters and six tanker planes available to aid firefighters on the ground Thursday, fire officials said.

All firefighting operations, including helicopter reloads at the tank site just north of Morongo Casino, are expected to proceed unchanged when former President George W. Bush visits the casino Thursday to speak during a private meeting of the Western Riverside Council of Governments, Forest Service spokesman Bob Poole said Wednesday evening.

Communities east of the Hathaway Fire, including Pioneertown, Morongo Valley and Yucca Valley, may be impacted by smoke, fire officials said. Smoke may cause decreased visibility for motorists and increased health problems for people with respiratory conditions.

The cause of the fire was said to be under investigation.

To read previous Banning-Beaumont Patch coverage of the Hathaway Fire click the following links:

PHOTO GALLERY: Hathaway Fire Helicopter Pilots Take on Retardant, H20 at Sundown

UPDATE: Hathaway Fire NE of Banning Grows to 3,130 Acres, Estimated 40 Percent Contained

UPDATE: Fire NE of Banning Grows to 2,372 Acres, Estimate 30 Percent Contained

UPDATE: Mountain Blaze NE of Banning Estimated 1650 Acres, 25 Pct Contained

Beaumont's 'Movies Under the Stars' Canceled Due to Hathaway Fire Near Banning

UPDATE: Fire NE of Banning Grows to 1,500 Acres, Concern for 'Significant Growth Potential'

Banning Woman with Family on Morongo Reservation: 'My Rez is on Fire'

Fire NE of Banning Grows to 1,300 Acres, Smoke and Aircraft Visible in Redlands

Agencies on the fire include the U.S. Forest Service, Cal-Fire Riverside County, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, and Morongo Tribal Bureau of Indian Affairs. Fire camp remained at Noble Creek Park in Beaumont.