The Milli Fire was a wildfire that burned over of Oregon forest land during the summer of 2017. The fire began in the Deschutes National Forest on 11 August 2017, the result of a lightning strike. The fire consumed thick forest vegetation southwest of Sisters, Oregon. Most of the burned area was public lands administered by the United States Forest Service, much of it in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Firefighters battled the blaze for over a month. At the peak of the firefighting effort, there were 675 firefighters working on the Milli Fire.
Origin
During the afternoon of August 11, 2017, a wildfire was reported in the Deschutes National Forest, west of Sisters. It was located southwest of Black Crater Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. The cause of the fire was ignition by a lightning strike. The Forest Service called it the Milli Fire."COIDC Morning Update, August 14", 8/14/2017 Central Oregon Fire Update, Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, Portland, Oregon, 14 August 2017."Whychus Fire winding down, Milli Fire ramping up", Nugget News, Sisters, Oregon, 14 August 2017."Air Quality Hazardous in Sisters as Milli Fire Burns", The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 20 August 2017."Milli Fire", Morning Incident Update, InciWeb Incident Information System, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, Bend, Oregon, 20 August 2017.
The Three Sisters Wilderness area covers over . It has approximately of wilderness trails including of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Most of the wilderness is covered with dense mixed conifer forest with scattered alpine meadows. The forest area on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range, where the Milli Fire began, is dominated by ponderosa pine. There are also large stands of lodgepole pine and dispersed Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western juniper in some areas."Three Sisters Wilderness: Deschutes", Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, Bend, Oregon, accessed 2 October 2017."Milli Fire tops 4,500 acres, fire officials brief public", KTVZ News, Bend, Oregon, 16 August 2017 (update 18 August 2017).
Chronology On August 11, a lightning strike ignited a fire in the Three Sister Wilderness west of the small town of Sisters. Initially, it was allowed to burn because it was in a remote part of the wilderness and firefighting crews were already deployed on other higher priority fires."Firefighters start to make progress against Milli Fire", Nugget News, Sisters, Oregon, 20 August 2017. By August 13, the Milli Fire had grown to . Initially, a seven-person helitack crew rappelled into the fire area and began fire suppression work near Black Crater Lake. Later, an additional 15 firefighters were assigned to the fire along with four bulldozers and two excavators. During August 14–16, the fire grew to approximately . As they fought the blaze, crews had to use extreme caution because the fire was burning across some areas scarred by the 2006 Black Crater Fire which had thick brush and dead standing timber.
By August 17, the fire had burned , moving east within of Sisters. As a result, fire officials announced that their highest priority was protecting homes and private property south and west of the community. During the day, fire crews continued to work through rugged terrain with dangerous overhead hazards. Nevertheless, firefighters made progress building fire lines with the help airtankers and helicopter water drops. Due to thick smoke in the area, the Oregon Department of Transportation closed Oregon Route 242 between Sisters and the Route 126 junction. In addition, approximately 1,600 residents of the Sisters area were told to prepare to evacuate their homes in case the fire began to burn north toward the community. That evening, Forest Service fire managers and local officials briefed members of the Sisters community at a town meeting.Brettman, Allan, "Oregon fires: More than 1,000 Sisters residents told to prepare to evacuate", Oregonian/OregonLive, Portland, Oregon, 17 August 2017.Spurr, Kyle,"Milli Fire threatening homes near Sisters", The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 17 August 2017."Public information meeting set on Milli Fire", Nugget News, Sisters, Oregon, 17 August 2017. On August 18, the fire continued to burn actively through thick forest and brush covered areas with standing dead timber left over from two previous large wildfires. The activity included fire running along the ground, larger trees torching as the ground fire passed, and numerous spot fires igniting in front of the main fire. High winds and hot-dry weather conditions made firefighting difficult. Crews initiate backfires along forest roads to burnout ground fuels and create fire breaks while bulldozers and hand crews cut fire lines. The main focus of the firefighters was the north and east sides of the fire where it was burning toward 650 private homes. By the end of the day, there were 250 firefighters working on the Milli Fire."Milli Fire", Afternoon Incident Update, InciWeb Incident Information System, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, Bend, Oregon, 18 August 2017.Adamczyk, Ed, "Oregon town prepares to evacuate as wildfire, eclipse loom", United Press International, Boca Raton, Florida, 18 August 2017.
On August 19, the fire remained out of control, running along the ground and igniting crown fires in some areas as it moved forward. As a result, residents of several subdivisions south and west of Sisters were ordered to evacuate their homes. During the day, firefighters continued to work fire lines on the north and east flanks of the blaze, trying to protect private property and the Whychus Creek watershed. Crews cleared away ground fuels using heavy equipment and burn-out operations widened fire breaks. They also suppressed numerous spot fires caused by flying embers carried on gusty winds. In addition, air tankers made numerous retardant drops along the front line of the fire. By the end of the day, firefighters had completed fire lines on the northeast and southeast corners. By August 20, the fire had grown to , but the 487 firefighters on scene had checked the fire's progress toward Sisters. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the fire, allowing firefighters to close gaps in the north side fire line. Crews cleared heavy fuels along the fire line using bulldozers and other heavy equipment while ground crews continue to burnout areas within the fire line to strengthen containment. During the day, four large air tankers and several helicopters were dedicated to the Milli Fire, supporting fire crews on the ground. Reinforcements consisting of eight fire engines and two water tenders from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office arrived and began clearing burnable materials from around evacuated homes south of Sisters. During the day, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Deschutes County Public Health Department issued an air quality warning, advising people in the Sisters area who are sensitive to smoke to stay indoor if possible.
The fire was very active during the night, growing to by the morning of August 21. Much of this growth was on the west side of the fire where it was burning back into the Three Sisters Wilderness, moving toward Lava Camp Lake and North Matthieu Lake. In the morning, air operations had to stand down for about hour during the solar eclipse. Ground crews also paused briefly to watch the eclipse. During the day, ground and air operations continued to focus on the east side of the fire where crews extended and strengthened fire lines to ensure private property near Sisters remained secure while Oregon State Fire Marshal teams patrol the evacuated neighborhoods. In the afternoon, air operations had to be discontinued due to heavy smoke that created a flight safety hazard. By the end of the day, the fire had grown to with 644 firefighters on scene. The Forest Service estimated that the fire was 20 percent contained."Milli Fire", Morning Incident Update, InciWeb Incident Information System, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, Bend, Oregon, 21 August 2017.Spurr, Kyle, "Crews pause for eclipse, but keep fighting Milli Fire", The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 21 August 2017. On August 22, the day began with 675 firefighters assigned to the fire. Because the northeast and southeast sides of the fire were effectively contained, fire managers shifted firefighting resources to the northwest side where the fire still threatened some homes and private property. However, some crews remained on the east side to patrol fire lines, spraying water to hot spots and looking for spot fires. The state fire marshal crews also continued to patrol evacuated neighborhoods and began assessing fire risk at Black Butte Ranch and other area along the Route 242 corridor west of Sisters. During the day, fire activity was moderate with the flames moving westward along the north side of Black Crater and slowly backing down the southern slope of Black Crater toward Lava Lake Camp and North Matthieu Lake. There was torching and crowning in isolated areas when winds pushed the fire up steep slopes. However, aircraft remained grounded all day due to smoky conditions. In the late afternoon, crews prepared to do burnout work on the northwest side of the fire if nighttime weather condition were favorable."Milli Fire", Morning Incident Update, InciWeb Incident Information System, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, Bend, Oregon, 22 August 2017."Milli Fire", Afternoon Incident Update, InciWeb Incident Information System, Deschutes National Forest, United States Forest Service, Bend, Oregon, 22 August 2017. "Milli Fire near Sisters burning westward", The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 22 August 2017.