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] August 28, 2017 Three firefighters working in the Miller Complex were injured yesterday in a vehicle accident when their engine rolled off the road near the junction of Forest Service Roads 1030 and 1035. One firefighter has serious injuries and two received minor injuries. The families of the three injured have been notified. The accident is under investigation. No additional information, including the names of the injured firefighters and the nature of their injuries, will be released at this time. Public Meetings: Tuesday August 29 at 6 pm at Applegate Fire District #9 in the training building and Wednesday August 30 at 6 pm at the Williams Elementary School. Current Situation: The fires continue to move slowly in most areas, but are still actively burning. The weather will continue to become hotter and drier through mid-week, which is expected to increase fire behavior. There is potential for growth on all fires in the complex, particularly in the late afternoon and evening. Smoke continues to create poor air quality and hamper use of air resources. Branch I: Creedence Fire and Bigelow Fire (Grayback Fire) Crews continue to focus on establishing control lines on the west side of the fire using existing roads. The west side of the fire is holding along Little Creek. Firing operations are being conducted to keep up with the natural progression of the fire on the west side. The fires in this Branch are approximately 7 miles south of Williams and 2 miles east of Oregon National Monument and Preserve. Branch II: Burnt Peak Fire Firefighters are using existing roads to halt the fire’s progression from the north and south by laying hose and digging handline as needed. The fire continues to move down the slope towards the Applegate Road at a very slow pace. This Branch is approximately 9 miles southwest of Ruch and 3 miles north of Applegate Lake. Branch III: Seattle Fire, Abney Fire and Cook Fire Firefighters continue to build and improve control lines on the north and east flanks, while looking for opportunities to establish lines on the south and west. These fires are burning in Oregon and California south of Applegate Lake. The community of Joe Bar is ½ mile north of the fire. Evacuations and Closures: The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has closed three areas on the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District including National Forest land between Kinney and Palmer creeks; the Grayback Mountain area; and the areas south of Applegate Lake. Local residents are allowed to access their property; please bring proof of residence. The Bureau of Land Management has closed the Grayback Mountain Trailhead. For specific descriptions and maps of the closures see http://bit.ly/2vx1Ahq. As a precautionary measure, Level 1 (Be Ready) Evacuation Notices were issued on 8/26/17 for: Palmer Creek Road at Upper Applegate Road to the 1090/1095 split, west of Upper Applegate Road and east of Applegate River from Palmer Creek Road to Jackson Campground (11,000 block), Bolder City at 11425 Upper Applegate Road, Carberry Creek Road at Applegate Road to Steamboat Ranch, and the Joe Bar area.

Fire Statistics:

Start Date: August 14, 2017 Cause: Lightning Complex Sized: 9,628 acres* Total Personnel: 550 Complex Containment: 48% Website: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5514/# Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillerComplexFires/ or https://facebook/R6RRSNF Twitter: #MillerComplex *A computing error was discovered in acreage calculations. As a result, acreage numbers were adjusted. Map perimeters remain unchanged.