California island fire linked to sailor's distress flare scorches 10,000 acres

"A wildfire that broke out on an island in the Channel Islands national park has become California's largest wildfire so far this year, burning through more than 10,000 acres, destroying historic structures and endangering rare plant communities that conservationists had struggled to reclaim. About six dozen firefighters have been deployed to control the blaze, which broke out on Friday, but their efforts have been undermined by strong winds. The fire is now at 0% containment, according to a Cal Fire incident report."

"The fire on Santa Rosa Island appears to have started after a sailor crashed his boat against the rocks on the shore of the island, leaving him stranded. The 67-year-old man shot at least two flares in an attempt to get passing boats to take notice of him. The attempt appeared to work, according to Kenneth Wiese, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard's south-west district. Wiese said people onboard two separate vessels contacted the National Park Service to say they suspected someone was marooned on Santa Rosa."

"The Coast Guard sent a helicopter that was already in flight to retrieve the man, who had spent the night on the island. The man had etched the letters SOS into the charred ground, according to images posted to Instagram by the Coast Guard. Officials took him to a hospital in nearby Camarillo. He did not appear to have been injured. We do know that he launched some flares to try to get some attention, Wiese said. It paid off for him. We were able to get him out of there."

"But the flares may have set off a wildfire along the southern coast of the 53,000-acre island. Wiese said he could not confirm the cause of the fire, but said the National Park Service (NPS) was carrying out an investigation. The NPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The NPS posted a notice"

A wildfire on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park has become California’s largest fire so far this year, burning more than 10,000 acres and destroying historic structures. Rare plant communities that conservationists had worked to reclaim are threatened. About six dozen firefighters are deployed, but strong winds have hindered containment efforts, leaving the fire at 0% containment. The blaze appears to have started after a 67-year-old sailor crashed his boat on the island’s shore and spent the night stranded. He shot flares to attract attention, and passing vessels reported a suspected marooned person to the National Park Service. A Coast Guard helicopter retrieved him, and he was taken to a hospital in Camarillo without apparent injury. Officials are investigating whether the flares contributed to the fire.

Read at www.theguardian.com