All articles tagged with #santa rosa island
A shipwrecked sailor on Santa Rosa Island fired distress flares, sparking a wildfire that grew to about 14,600 acres, destroyed three park buildings and forced evacuations as crews battled strong winds to protect the rare Torrey pines; the Coast Guard rescued the 67-year-old man.
Satellite imagery shows two major California wildfires: the Sandy Fire near Simi Valley has burned about 1,364 acres with 750 firefighters and thousands evacuated, while a separate blaze on Santa Rosa Island has scorched roughly 14,600 acres and remains uncontained; winds helped spread the fires earlier, prompting evacuations of about 10,000 homes, warnings for an additional ~3,500, and school closures in Simi Valley. Firefighters and park staff, aided by Coast Guard rescue and night-flying helicopters, continue containment efforts.
A human-caused wildfire on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park has grown to roughly 15,000 acres (about a quarter of the island), marking the island’s largest blaze in modern history and remaining 0% contained as crews fight steep terrain with boats and limited air support; two historic buildings were destroyed, and the blaze threatens rare Torrey pines and other endemic island life, while a mariner rescued after his sailboat crashed signaled for help.