A stranded sailor's burning boat sparked a major wildfire on Santa Rosa Island, sending flames across one of California's most ecologically sensitive landscapes.
As SFGATE reported, the blaze has already reached habitat for Torrey pines, among the rarest pine trees on Earth.
The National Park Service said the Santa Rosa Island Fire began Friday morning and has since grown to nearly 14,600 acres — more than a quarter of the island, the second-largest in Channel Islands National Park.
An unnamed mariner accidentally grounded his vessel on Santa Rosa Island around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Carson Shevitz, a Ventura boat captain and the owner of Channel Watch Marine Services, said.
The mariner allegedly abandoned the boat after it started rocking, and it caught fire about an hour later. The mariner showed Shevitz timestamped photos and videos of the intense blaze, he said. SFGATE also received the video anonymously.
Officials initially said the blaze was human-caused after the stranded sailor used a flare to alert rescuers, but later amended that embers from the burning boat likely started it, and that it remains under investigation, SFGATE noted in later reporting of the incident.
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The fire has charred over 16,900 acres and is currently 26% contained. Hundreds of firefighting personnel are battling the blaze, and multiple air tankers, including a modified Boeing 737, are being used to drop water and fire retardant, according to SFGATE.
At the same time, the response has been complicated by other fires burning on the mainland. SFGATE reported that the Sandy Fire in Simi Valley had burned upwards of 1,300 acres, destroyed at least one house, and prompted evacuations for thousands. Park Service spokesperson Mike Theune said he had "not heard" whether resources were shifted from Santa Rosa Island.
This fire is especially alarming because it has burned through habitat tied to species found almost nowhere else. The Torrey pine exists naturally in just two places — Santa Rosa Island and a small reserve in San Diego, according to SFGATE — making any damage to its habitat globally significant.
The Park Service said that flames moved into the Torrey Pines area on the island's east side, though early checks indicated low intensity there and an intact stand. A fuller assessment will come later, when it is safe for fire effects crews to enter.
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Former Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau told SFGATE he is deeply concerned about the island's natural and cultural resources. Unlike many mainland ecosystems that are more fire-adapted, Santa Rosa Island supports plants and animals that exist nowhere else.
For now, officials are focusing on the highest-risk threats. The Park Service said crews on Santa Rosa Island have focused on protecting structures and shielding the Torrey pine area, even as mainland fires take priority under emergency response policy.
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