Miller Complex Fire Update Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team - Todd Pechota, Incident Commander Information Center: 541-899-5302 Hours of operation: 7 am – 9 pm Email: [email protected] September 3, 2017 Current Situation: The Abney fire has been split into two branches, III and IV; the newest branch (IV) is on the Klamath National Forest and is being managed by the Eclipse Complex as this complex has better accessibility to this portion of the fire. Evacuations: As a precautionary measure, the Kinney Creek Road (1090 Road) and Palmer Creek Road received a Level 3 (Go) Evacuation Order yesterday. The following areas are under a Level 2 (Be Set) Evacuation Notice:  Both sides of Upper Applegate Road from Palmer Creek Road to the Applegate Dam Spillway (This includes Bolder City)  Beaver Creek Road (Jackson County, Oregon) from its junction with Upper Applegate Road east for approximately a mile. The following areas are in a Level 1 (Be Ready) Evacuation Notice:  Carberry Creek Road from Applegate Road up to and including Steamboat Ranch  Palmer Creek Road/Applegate Road intersection north to 7449 Applegate Road and Eastside Road from Upper Applegate Road north to 2874 Eastside Road.  South from Applegate Dam Spillway around all of Applegate Lake (1/8 mile buffer around water to include all private property), including French Gulch. The following recreation sites are included: Hart-tish, Harr Pt, Watkins, Tipsu Tyee, Latgawa Cove and Stringtown campgrounds, and Carberry picnic ground. Joe Bar remains under an evacuation warning. Creedence Fire and Bigelow (Grayback) Fire (seven miles south of Williams; 2,135 acres, 46% contained) Little activity was seen on the Creedence and Bigelow fires. Remaining crews will continue to hold, mop-up, monitor, and patrol firelines. Sprinkler systems are still in place on the north side of the Creedence fire. Burnt Peak Fire (Nine miles southwest of Ruch and 3 miles north of Applegate Lake; 3,616 acres, 20% contained). The Burnt Peak fire has backed down Billy Mountain as expected; one small corner remains to be tied in on the fire’s northeast side. Firefighting traffic has increased in the Upper Applegate Road area as resources continue to protect homes and property. Residents can expect to see flames, and smoke will be prevalent in the valley. The fire has moved slowly through the area and remains a ground fire. Branches III and IV: Abney Fire (About nine miles north of Seiad Valley, CA; 12,164 acres, 5% contained) Two additional divisions were added to this fire (Q and U) in Branch III. Division U (northwest side) will be scouted for the most opportune fireline locations. Dozer line was completed on the northwest side and was plumbed with a hose-lay on Division T. Division Q (northeast side) will work in conjunction with Z (east side), where structure protection is ongoing in the Joe Bar area. Dozers and masticators continue to work prepping the 1050 road. Handline should be completed to Copper Butte on the southwest side. Lines are anchored and secured on the fire’s north side near Applegate Lake. On Branch IV, firelines will be located and constructed in the Seiad Valley to minimize fire spread to the south. Closures: The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has closed three areas on the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District in each of the branches, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices. The Bureau of Land Management has closed the Grayback Mountain Trailhead. Closures are in place for the Klamath National Forest including a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. Refer to https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices. Fire Statistics: Start Date: August 14, 2017 Cause: Lightning Complex Sized: 17,965 acres Total Personnel: 596 Complex Containment: 40% Website: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5514/# Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillerComplexFires/ or https://facebook/R6RRSNF Twitter: #MillerComplex See where you are in relation to the fires: http://tinyurl.com/MillerComplexEvacs