Firefighters turned the tables on a wildfire Friday on the Fort Hall Reservation that had the day before put them on defense, causing evacuations and threatening several homes in the Ross Fork area.

But what a difference a day makes as firefighters with help from air tankers went on offense against the fire on Friday, achieving 60 percent containment of the blaze by 7 p.m. Full containment is expected Sunday night, authorities said.

The wildfire has scorched about 8,700 acres since igniting Thursday afternoon. The blaze caused the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to evacuate several houses in the Ross Fork area where the fire was burning with explosive ferocity due to strong winds on Thursday night and early Friday morning. Miraculously firefighters kept all of the homes from suffering any damage despite the fact the fire continued to spread throughout the night.

Firefighting aircraft including large air tankers dropped retardant on the wildfire Thursday and stepped up those efforts on Friday. The air support and perhaps Friday and Saturday’s cooler temperatures seem to have made a big difference to the firefighters on the ground who now have the fire on the run.

Authorities thought that Interstate 15 northbound might need to be shut down on Friday morning in the Fort Hall area because of wildfire smoke but the closure was not needed and the freeway has remained open.

After being asked to leave their homes early Thursday evening, the Ross Fork area evacuees spent the night at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and were allowed to return to their houses late Friday morning.

The blaze ignited in the 2 1/2 Mile Road area northeast of Chubbuck around 1:45 p.m. Thursday and spread rapidly into the nearby Ross Fork area of the Fort Hall Reservation, authorities said.

Emergency responders temporarily shut down 2 1/2 Mile Road as well as multiple roads in the Ross Fork area because of the blaze. Authorities were still asking the public on Saturday to stay away until the fire has been extinguished.

In a move showing the seriousness of the situation, the tribes activated their emergency operations center early Thursday evening to help coordinate the emergency response to the wildfire. The center was deactivated on Friday as the threat from the fire decreased.

As of Saturday morning the blaze had not resulted in any injuries and no structures had been damaged, authorities said.

Firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and several local fire departments are on the scene battling the fire.

Authorities said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.