Milli Fire burns near Sisters

What started as a small lightning-sparked fire on Black Crater in the Three Sisters Wilderness west of Sisters blew up into a raging wildfire that has burned over 10,000 acres and has displaced hundreds of Sisters-area residents.

The Milli Fire was 20 percent contained as of Monday afternoon. Containment is considered as having strong control lines that are well mopped up, where there is a high degree of confidence that the fire won't escape those lines.

A perfect storm of lightning activity, hot, dry windy conditions and competing fire priorities played into the growth of the blaze. Sisters Ranger District Assistant Fire Management Officer Jinny Reed recounted the early development of the fire for The Nugget.

The fire was detected on the morning of Saturday, August 12, after lightning storms had had rolled through Sisters Country the night before. The fire was three to four acres in size when detected.

"Around 10:45 a.m. a full suppression strategy was approved and established upon detection by the Deschutes National Forest," Reed reported. "(The) duty officer was granted full authority to utilize all suppression tools, i.e. aerial retardant, chain saws, pumps inside wilderness as necessary to suppress the fire and keep it small."

Keeping it small was not in the cards.

Reed drove out to Forest Road 1018 to get a better look at the fire and saw that it had increased in size to more than 20 acres

"From my vantage point I saw that the fire had started near the 2006 Black Crater Fire, full of standing snags," Reed said.

She called in an order for a retardant drop, which could slow the fire's progress, but not put it out (see related story, page 25).

"Fire behavior had increased and I knew access and containment would be a challenge," she said. "Retardant was not available through dispatch. Resource availability was limited due to multiple fires in the area."

That meant that the fire was burning unchecked - just as another fire in the area was uncoiling in a dangerous run toward homes on Lower Bridge Road.

"During the afternoon of August 12, winds picked up around (1:30 p.m.), causing embers from Whychus Fire to cross containment lines resulting in a two-mile-long narrow fire heading toward Lower Bridge and Holmes roads with multiple private inholdings," Reed reported. "All firefighting resources were diverted to Whychus Fire to protect life and property in its path of progression."

The Whychus Fire went from 34 acres to more than 2,000 that afternoon, and the fire on Black Crater grew modestly to about 200 acres. However, veteran fire-watchers in Sisters knew that there was every likelihood that it would ramp up and get big. And it did.

Driven by winds, high temperatures, and dry conditions, the fire blew up on Wednesday afternoon, making a significant run to the east. The fire continued to grow on Thursday, as a Type 1 Incident Management Team came in to take command of the fire. Residents of Crossroads and the Edgington Road area were placed on evacuation alert.

On Friday, as the fire continued to challenge firefighters and run to the east, authorities triggered a Level 3 evacuation, requiring residents of Crossroads and Edgington Road and environs to leave their homes. Soon, residents along Forest Road 16 (Three Creek Road) south of sisters were also required to evacuate as the fire pushed toward the road and Whychus Creek

Firefighters held the fire from jumping across Road 16 on Saturday and finally caught a break with calmer winds, lower temperatures and higher humidity on Sunday. Relatively favorable weather conditions continued on Monday as handfuls of folks in Sisters took in a smoky total eclipse on streets that were nearly deserted.

While the intense firefight that characterized Wednesday-Saturday has abated somewhat, the Milli Fire will continue to challenge the region for some time. Evacuations were still in place on Monday afternoon, and the fire was growing on its west end.

Fire officials reported that the main part of the fire was backing into the wilderness area to the west. The fire grew toward Lava Lake Camp and North Matthieu Lake on Sunday, and crews were working off of Highway 242 to clear heavy fuels and strengthen the control line.

Temperatures were expected to peak in the high 80s Monday and Tuesday afternoon and moderate later in the week. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms forecast for Wednesday.

The Nugget will continue to provide regular updates on the Milli Fire at www.nuggetnews.com and on The Nugget's Facebook page.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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