Most of the island was spared from the fire. Photo: Channel Islands Park Foundation//Facebook
Two weeks after a stranded sailor sparked a fire on California’s Santa Rosa Island, fire crews report that the blaze has been 97 percent contained. The fire tore through more than 18,000 acres — over a third of the island — but officials say much of the island’s endangered flora appears to have survived.
Initial reports indicate that some of Santa Rosa’s unique Torrey pine trees burned, but its tree population remains largely intact. Videos from the aftermath suggest that even in some scorched areas, much of the forest canopy was spared. Further assessment will be required to see how the endangered fauna fared, such as foxes and spotted skunks.
Since the fire started, a video has emerged online that appears to show how the blaze spread. A 67-year-old sailor wrecked his sailboat on the island on May 15. While he was not injured, he set off emergency flares to alert rescue crews to his situation. The video shows the boat burning on the shore, which is suspected to have spread to the surrounding hillsides. The Ventura Coast Guard Air Station said the cause of the fire is under investigation. The man was rescued via helicopter the following day.
The fire is now the largest in the history of the Channel Islands, and Santa Rosa will be closed to the public through at least June 6. The Channel Islands Park Foundation also reports that Santa Rosa’s historic South Point Light Station survived the fire. Fire crews, along with biologists and archaeologists, are now shifting efforts to “restoring the land to prevent soil erosion, discourage unauthorized access, and minimize visual impacts from the firefight.”
