August is the peak of Oregon’s fire season but cooler weather and higher humidity this week helped with suppression efforts for the Milli Fire near Sisters. The nearly 13,000 acre fire is now 32 percent contained.
Fire spokeswoman Ronda Scholting says progress containing the blaze and strengthening its borders has allowed the level 3 evacuation order for neighborhoods south of Sisters to be lifted.
“We had some very good news for the residents who were evacuated. The level in their neighborhood dropped to two and they were able to get back into their homes so about 600 people are back home and were able to sleep in their beds last night.”
A level 2 evacuation notice remains in place.
Thanks to the cooler weather some heavy smoke has been cleared away. This allows the aircraft assigned to the incident to reengage after being grounded due to poor visibility. Despite the lifted evacuation orders, schools in Sisters will be delaying the start of the fall semester by a day because of poor air quality.