09-19-17 Miller Complex Daily Update

09-19-17 Miller Complex Daily Update


Evacuations: The evacuation warning for the Joe Bar community has been lifted. There are no evacuations on the Miller Complex.

Weather: Rains brought moisture to most of the Miller Complex over the last two days, with the largest amounts on the west side of the Abney Fire. Forecasts show more widespread, significant rain coming tonight and into Wednesday with a quarter to a half inch over most of the complex and up to one inch over the western edge. Winds will increase with gusts on the higher peaks of up to 40 mph.

The rain has decreased fire behavior, but this system will not put the fire out. Fire behavior will diminish while the front moves through, with the potential for the fire to become active if conditions dry out in the future. The public will likely see smoke from the interior of these fires until a season-ending weather event occurs.

Current Situation: Containment on Miller Complex is 65% overall. Firefighter and public safety remain top priority on the complex. Over the next few days firefighters will focus on accomplishing work safely under changing conditions. Rain and wind will make for slippery conditions and unstable grounds that could lead to washouts.

The chipping operation on the Creedence Fire is complete and will be complete on the Burnt Peak Fire today. Firefighters will continue to patrol these fires daily.

The west flank of the Abney Fire continues to be active near the Middle Fork of the Applegate River and below Whiskey Ridge. Fire managers will use the Red Buttes Wilderness as a containment area. This wilderness has natural barriers such as rock bands and minimal vegetation, features that confine fire. Although there could be some fire activity in these rugged areas, the likelihood of the fire threatening private values is low.

On the east flank, there is fire in the West Fork of Dutch Creek. It has traveled to the top of the ridge above the creek. Fire managers have designed a plan to confine the fire to that area, protecting private industrial timber land to the east and south. Eventually, changes in the weather will put the fire out.

Fire managers are working with local district and resource advisors on suppression repair opportunities. Firefighters are installing waterbars to help prevent erosion of lines constructed as part of the suppression action. Waterbars are typically installed in hand and dozer lines.

Over the next few days the Miller Complex will downsize personnel and prepare to transition into a Type 3 incident management team toward the end of the week.

Miller Complex Abney Fire, south of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT): https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5511/.
Closures: The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest closed areas https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices.
The Bureau of Land Management has closed the Grayback Mountain Trailhead.
Klamath National Forest closures see https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices.
Website: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5514/# Joint Information Center Blog: http://swojic.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillerComplexFires/ or https://facebook/R6RRSNF