On August 11, a lightning strike ignited a fire in the Three Sister Wilderness west of the small town of Sisters.
 Initially, it was allowed to burn because it was in a remote part of the wilderness and firefighting crews were already deployed on other higher priority fires.
By August 13, the Milli Fire had grown to 200 acres (0.81 km²).
 Initially, a seven-person helitack crew rappelled into the fire area and began fire suppression work near Black Crater Lake.
 Later, an additional 15 firefighters were assigned to the fire along with four bulldozers and two excavators.
During August 14–16, the fire grew to approximately 4,500 acres (18 km²).
 As they fought the blaze, crews had to use extreme caution because the fire was burning across some areas scarred by the 2006 Black Crater Fire which had thick brush and dead standing timber.

By August 17, the fire had burned 4,565 acres (18.47 km²), moving east within 6 miles (9.7 km) of Sisters.
 As a result, fire officials announced that their highest priority was protecting homes and private property south and west of the community.
 During the day, fire crews continued to work through rugged terrain with dangerous overhead hazards.
 Nevertheless, firefighters made progress building fire lines with the help airtankers and helicopter water drops.
 Due to thick smoke in the area, the Oregon Department of Transportation closed Oregon Route 242 between Sisters and the Route 126 junction.
 In addition, approximately 1,600 residents of the Sisters area were told to prepare to evacuate their homes in case the fire began to burn north toward the community.
 That evening, Forest Service fire managers and local officials briefed members of the Sisters community at a town meeting.
On August 18, the fire continued to burn actively through thick forest and brush covered areas with standing dead timber left over from two previous large wildfires.
 The activity included fire running along the ground, larger trees torching as the ground fire passed, and numerous spot fires igniting in front of the main fire.
 High winds and hot-dry weather conditions made firefighting difficult.
 Crews initiate backfires along forest roads to burnout ground fuels and create fire breaks while bulldozers and hand crews cut fire lines.
 The main focus of the firefighters was the north and east sides of the fire where it was burning toward 650 private homes.
 By the end of the day, there were 250 firefighters working on the Milli Fire.

On August 19, the fire remained out of control, running along the ground and igniting crown fires in some areas as it moved forward.
 As a result, residents of several subdivisions south and west of Sisters were ordered to evacuate their homes.
During the day, firefighters continued to work fire lines on the north and east flanks of the blaze, trying to protect private property and the Whychus Creek watershed.
 Crews cleared away ground fuels using heavy equipment and burn-out operations widened fire breaks.
 They also suppressed numerous spot fires caused by flying embers carried on gusty winds.
 In addition, air tankers made numerous retardant drops along the front line of the fire.
 By the end of the day, firefighters had completed fire lines on the northeast and southeast corners.
By August 20, the fire had grown to 8,014 acres (32.43 km²), but the 487 firefighters on scene had checked the fire's progress toward Sisters.
 Cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the fire, allowing firefighters to close gaps in the north side fire line.
 Crews cleared heavy fuels along the fire line using bulldozers and other heavy equipment while ground crews continue to burnout areas within the fire line to strengthen containment.
During the day, four large air tankers and several helicopters were dedicated to the Milli Fire, supporting fire crews on the ground.
 Reinforcements consisting of eight fire engines and two water tenders from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office arrived and began clearing burnable materials from around evacuated homes south of Sisters.
 During the day, the Or
On August 11, a lightning strike ignited a fire in the Three Sister Wilderness west of the small town of Sisters.  Initially, it was allowed to burn because it was in a remote part of the wilderness and firefighting crews were already deployed on other higher priority fires. By August 13, the Milli Fire had grown to 200 acres (0.81 km²).  Initially, a seven-person helitack crew rappelled into the fire area and began fire suppression work near Black Crater Lake.  Later, an additional 15 firefighters were assigned to the fire along with four bulldozers and two excavators. During August 14–16, the fire grew to approximately 4,500 acres (18 km²).  As they fought the blaze, crews had to use extreme caution because the fire was burning across some areas scarred by the 2006 Black Crater Fire which had thick brush and dead standing timber.
By August 17, the fire had burned 4,565 acres (18.47 km²), moving east within 6 miles (9.7 km) of Sisters.  As a result, fire officials announced that their highest priority was protecting homes and private property south and west of the community.  During the day, fire crews continued to work through rugged terrain with dangerous overhead hazards.  Nevertheless, firefighters made progress building fire lines with the help airtankers and helicopter water drops.  Due to thick smoke in the area, the Oregon Department of Transportation closed Oregon Route 242 between Sisters and the Route 126 junction.  In addition, approximately 1,600 residents of the Sisters area were told to prepare to evacuate their homes in case the fire began to burn north toward the community.  That evening, Forest Service fire managers and local officials briefed members of the Sisters community at a town meeting. On August 18, the fire continued to burn actively through thick forest and brush covered areas with standing dead timber left over from two previous large wildfires.  The activity included fire running along the ground, larger trees torching as the ground fire passed, and numerous spot fires igniting in front of the main fire.  High winds and hot-dry weather conditions made firefighting difficult.  Crews initiate backfires along forest roads to burnout ground fuels and create fire breaks while bulldozers and hand crews cut fire lines.  The main focus of the firefighters was the north and east sides of the fire where it was burning toward 650 private homes.  By the end of the day, there were 250 firefighters working on the Milli Fire.
On August 19, the fire remained out of control, running along the ground and igniting crown fires in some areas as it moved forward.  As a result, residents of several subdivisions south and west of Sisters were ordered to evacuate their homes. During the day, firefighters continued to work fire lines on the north and east flanks of the blaze, trying to protect private property and the Whychus Creek watershed.  Crews cleared away ground fuels using heavy equipment and burn-out operations widened fire breaks.  They also suppressed numerous spot fires caused by flying embers carried on gusty winds.  In addition, air tankers made numerous retardant drops along the front line of the fire.  By the end of the day, firefighters had completed fire lines on the northeast and southeast corners. By August 20, the fire had grown to 8,014 acres (32.43 km²), but the 487 firefighters on scene had checked the fire's progress toward Sisters.  Cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the fire, allowing firefighters to close gaps in the north side fire line.  Crews cleared heavy fuels along the fire line using bulldozers and other heavy equipment while ground crews continue to burnout areas within the fire line to strengthen containment. During the day, four large air tankers and several helicopters were dedicated to the Milli Fire, supporting fire crews on the ground.  Reinforcements consisting of eight fire engines and two water tenders from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office arrived and began clearing burnable materials from around evacuated homes south of Sisters.  During the day, the Or
Milli Fire