Oregon Public Broadcasting

Warm Springs firefighters say a fire that started near the tribe's lumber mill is 35-percent contained Friday.

And firefighters say the situation is improving, unless winds pick up unexpectedly over the weekend.

The fire burned two buildings, including a pool house owned by the reservation - but firefighters say low winds and cooler temperatures early Friday morning helped save two larger houses and prevented any injuries.

Clay Penhollow is with Warm Springs Fire Management.

Clay Penhollow: “Initially it was right there by the mill, but then it hit those 20 and 30 mile per hour winds, so it jumped the Deschutes River, and that in that kind of grass, juniper, shrub, it moves pretty fast. It can be kind of scary.”

Penhollow says this wildfire season got started surprisingly early.

Warm Springs doesn't usually see many wildfires until the July Fourth weekend.

This year, firefighters battled several blazes in June -- before the fire department had gotten a helicopter to keep track of the summer fires.