SENECA FALLS (AP) -- A wildfire that scorched nearly 700 acres of marshland in the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge did more good than harm.
Refuge manager Tom Jasikoff says the Easter Sunday blaze burned off a lot of dead plants, recycled minerals back into the soil and will benefit the marsh ecology by allowing a greater diversity of plants to sprout.
Officials believe the fire in the refuge along the Thruway between Rochester and Syracuse was started accidentally, possibly by a tossed cigarette. At one point, there was a 30-foot wall of flame about a mile long.
The 7,000-acre preserve is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It provides important habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds, and is home to nesting bald eagles.
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