A brushfire that burned 45 acres near the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery Monday night is being investigated as a possible arson.

The fire was reported around 9 p.m. east of U.S. Highway 26. Firefighters with Warm Springs Fire & Safety and the Bureau of Indian Affairs were able to quickly contain it, Warm Springs Police Chief Bill Elliott told The Bulletin.

A Warm Springs Police detective and fire investigators are looking into the possibility the fire was started intentionally, and the FBI has been notified, Elliott said.

“I can’t say much more other than it’s an active investigation,” he said.

“The crime of arson in Indian Country is a federal offense, and due to the adverse fire conditions, we will do everything needed to arrest people intentionally starting fires,” Elliott wrote in a release Tuesday.

The Lionshead Fire of 2020, which burned 200,000 acres and began on the Warm Springs Reservation, was caused by lightning.