PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A wildfire that destroyed two houses on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon is reported under control. Fire crews have dug a line around it and are putting out lingering hot spots.
A spokeswoman for the agencies working the fire says investigators are still looking into its cause.
A deputy state fire marshal says it began when a couple was trying to burn off cheatgrass at their house, and the wind picked up. Cheatgrass is a common weed in the West, and it’s quick to burn.
The fire whipped through about 1,300 acres of grass, sagebrush and juniper trees. It threatened about 30 houses in two subdivisions near the town Warm Springs.
The occupants of one house got out before it burned. The other house was vacant.
