Helicopter Evacuates 11 Park Workers as Santa Rosa Island Fire Reaches 5,692 Acres
Updated
Updated · Santa Barbara Edhat · May 18
Helicopter Evacuates 11 Park Workers as Santa Rosa Island Fire Reaches 5,692 Acres
2 articles · Updated · Santa Barbara Edhat · May 18
Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Helicopter 964 airlifted 11 National Park Service employees to Oxnard Airport on May 17 after a wind-driven wildfire pushed toward their housing; no injuries were reported.
The human-caused blaze, first spotted early May 15 near Ford Point, had burned 5,692 acres by Sunday evening and remained 0% contained, with active fire on both eastern and western flanks.
Gale-force winds have hampered marine access and aerial operations, forcing crews to focus on direct attack where safe while preparing indirect lines near Clapp Spring to protect the island’s main historic and operational area.
Two historic structures and an adjacent storage building have been destroyed, while the status of the South Point Lighthouse remains unknown.
Santa Rosa Island is closed to day and overnight visitors through at least this week as firefighters work to protect infrastructure, cultural resources and habitats that include six plant species found nowhere else on Earth.
Can high-tech conservation like seed banking save species when one mistake ignites a 10,000-acre fire?
As human error devastates a unique ecosystem, what is the real cost of protecting America's 'Galapagos'?