VESUVIUS, Va. (WFXR) -- A wildfire burning in the Big Levels region of the Blue Ridge Mountains is causing concern for one tiny creature found only in Virginia; the Big Levels salamander. So far, that fire has scorched nearly two thousand acres in the area where the Augusta, Nelson, and Rockbridge County lines meet. That is also the only place in the world where the Big Levels salamander can be found, and even then, they only live on a few select mountain tops. "They occupy these high elevation areas; they're very isolated on these mountain tops," said Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources State Herpetologist J.D. Kleopher from an interview two years ago. "That makes them very vulnerable to things like climate change and habitat change." Big Levels salamanders are important to the ecosystem because they help to control the insect population, and they serve as a food source for bears, coyotes, turkeys, and other birds. While the number of Big Levels salamander is healthy and stable, because they are found in so few places and their range is extremely limited, they are considered a vulnerable species. The threat to them, right now, is not the flames because they are burrowed deep into the ground at this time of year, but rather the destruction of habitat. Studies have shown wildfires can actually benefit habitats be reintroducing nutrients into the soil. However, until that regeneration takes place, limited habitat could lead to a short term reduction in salamander numbers. Kleopher and other wildlife experts say wildfires are a relatively common occurrence in nature, and that Big Levels salamanders have survived them before. The impact of this fire will not be known for several months, and possibly not for more than a year.