Milli Fire Morning Update - August 19

Incident Management Team: Southwest IMT 2 (Pierson)

Location of Origin: 9 miles west of Sisters, OR

Start date: August 11, 2017, 2:42 pm
Size: Approximately 7,814 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Cause: Lightning
Resources Assigned: More than 400 personnel  
Vegetation: Higher elevation; Mixed conifers. Lower elevations; ponderosa pine, juniper trees, sagebrush

Gusty winds on Friday pushed the fire to the east-southeast, causing Level 3 (Go Now) evacuations of approximately 600 residents. The evacuations occurred in the Edgington/Remuda Road and Crossroads subdivisions, and included residents living along the Three Creeks Lake Road (FS 16 Road), immediately to the south of the town of Sisters. The Tollgate subdivision remains on a Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation.

Crews worked overnight with dozers to build a direct line on the leading edge of the fire, with engine crews patrolling the area and looking for spot fires.  Temperatures today (Saturday) are expected to be a few degrees cooler with higher humidity. However, the winds that pushed the fire on Friday will be back, with gusts up to 22 miles an hour, from around 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. creating the potential for more embers to cross the fireline and create new spot fires. Firefighters will be actively identifying them and containing them where possible. Also, today firefighters will be working to contain the area where the fire extended yesterday and will be constructing new containment lines between the fire's edge and the communities that are threatened. Temperatures should range from 70 - 75 degrees, with humidity ranging from 22 to 26%.  Fire crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Deschutes National Forest are assisted by several structural engine task forces from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office that are working in the evacuated neighborhoods, treating spaces around homes to provide better defensible space.  

There is a community meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at Sisters High School. Representatives of the incident management team and local agencies will be there to provide the latest information on the fire and answer questions.

Air resources have been very important in fighting this fire. Three heavy air tankers and one VLAT (very large air tanker) made repeated drops of fire retardant, creating fire lines and assisting our crews in inaccessible areas. Air tankers are available to assist the fire today, and there are two Type 2 helicopters and one Type 3 helicopter working the fire; and, two National Guard helicopters on standby.

If you fly, we can’t. There is a temporary flight restriction (TFR) area over the fire and anyone who flies a drone in the TFR could ground our air resources. Drones endanger our pilots in the air and our firefighters on the ground, who depend on air support to fight fires like this one.

Smoke monitoring information is available at: oregonsmoke.blogspot.com.  Anyone concerned with the effects of smoke in the region or who has possible health concerns related to smoke can go to this site to see smoke monitoring data and get additional information.

Evacuations:  

Level 3 - The subdivisions of Crossroads, Edgington/Ramuda, Wildwing Road, Peterson Burn Road area, and along both sides of the Three Creeks Lake Road (FS 16 Road), immediately south of Sisters

Level 1 - The subdivision of Tollgate

Road Closures:

OR 242 east of Cascade Crest to the junction of Forest Road 15. For further information see www.tripcheck.com.

Forest Closures:

There is an area closure in place in the Deschutes National Forest, due to fire activity. For more information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/deschutes/alerts-notices