While the threat to human life and property loss tend to get the most talk among the impacts of Colorado’s wildfires, nature is put at risk as these blazes rage, too.

That reality has been put on display during the Stoner Mesa Fire, which at last report had burned 9,407 acres in southwest Colorado near the town of Dolores. While the fire doesn’t seem to be posing an immediate threat to human life, it has been threatening a small population of rare cutthroat trout – a fish species that’s native to Colorado that state wildlife officials are actively working to conserve and restore.

With the Stoner Mesa Fire looming, state biologists leapt into action to rescue a group of cutthroat trout from the fire’s path, more specifically, a rare lineage of the species that’s dubbed the ‘Uncompahgre’ Colorado River cutthroat. The effort was deemed a success, with 266 fish saved from Wildcat Creek above a goal of 250. The fish were then transported to the Gunnison-area Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery where they’ll be able to thrive for the foreseeable future.

The rescue was conducted via an electrofishing setup, which applies a light dose of electricity to the water. This electrifying approach temporarily stuns the fish, allowing biologists to scope them up in nets.

The impacts of the fire on the local ecosystem won’t end when the fire is extinguished, either, with long-lasting water quality impacts possible, too. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some of these impacts include chemical irritation, sedimentation, and overall reduced water quality which can increase metabolic demands on aquatic wildlife, resulting in additional stress and an increased risk of mortality. A lot of this risk comes from unstable slopes left behind from a blaze, which can result in potential flooding and the introduction of debris into a water source.

Thankfully, this rescue mission had a happy ending, with the lineage of the fish protected for reintroduction down the road.

Find an in-depth report about this rescue and the process of saving fish populations when wildfires start bearing down here.