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| Wildlife refuge burns in Grayson fire |
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| Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Friday, 27 June 2008 | |
 Charcoaled: Close to 1,000 acres of the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The first reports of the fire arrived at about 3 p.m. By 8 p.m., firefighters had the flames under control, said Jeff Gregory, division chief for West Stanislaus Fire Protection District. It was several more hours before crews left the scene, and the local American Red Cross made sure emergency responders got fed that night. Vehicle access to the fire proved difficult, and the fire jumped the San Joaquin River, Gregory said, but the fire stayed manageable as dozens of firefighters battled the blaze. “We felt real confident surrounded by the levees,” Gregory said.  Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The fire started in San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, a 6,642-acre nature preserve that is restoring native habitats and species around the river. About 750 acres in the refuge burned, but the fire did not seriously hamper the work being done, said Robert Parris, deputy refuge manager. “It’s not a huge setback,” he said. He expects most of the animals in the refuge, which includes endangered and threatened species, escaped the fire. They will have less food and fewer hiding places because of the blaze, but populations should remain relatively strong, Parris said.  White ash and charred remnants of bushes and trees lay scattered northeast of Grayson. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Workers planted much of the destroyed vegetation about four years ago, Parris said. While he expects it to return, it does delay the refuge reaching the desired maturity level. “We like to see it be 10 years before a disturbance,” he said. “(The fire) sets it back to year one.” A few unused structures in the refuge were destroyed, Parris said. The facilities had once been used in cattle operations. An investigator with the Modesto Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Stanislaus County Sheriff’s spokesman Royjindar Singh said it appeared to have started in four separate places, and appeared suspicious. The last fire in the refuge was in 2004 and burned about 1,700 acres, Parris said. “You have to expect these types of disturbances,” he said. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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