{"id":217,"date":"2026-05-19T04:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=217"},"modified":"2026-05-19T04:06:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:06:04","slug":"wildfire-at-calif-national-park-continues-growing-with-0-containment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=217","title":{"rendered":"Wildfire at Calif. national park continues growing with 0% containment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A sailor stranded in\u00a0Channel Islands National Park started California\u2019s largest wildfire of the year so far after he set off a flare following a sailboat crash on Santa Rosa Island on Friday, according to a post from the U.S. Coast Guard.<\/p>

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The 67-year-old man was stranded after his sailboat ran onto the rocks of Santa Rosa Island. The man was stranded overnight before rescue swimmers reached him the following morning at about 10:30 a.m. Images from the scene show he had written \u201cSOS\u201d in the charred grasslands.<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cThe sailor fired emergency flares to signal for help, which inadvertently sparked a wildfire that grew to 1,000 acres by Friday afternoon,\u201d officials from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Ventura said in a post.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Over 70 firefighting personnel have\u00a0responded to the blaze that has scorched 14,600 acres since it started. More firefighters were expected to arrive Monday after the gale-force winds seen over the weekend finally weaken, but Monday evening, the fire remained at zero percent containment. No injuries have been reported in the fire, but two historic structures on the island, Johnson\u2019s Lee Equipment Shed and Wreck Line Camp Cabin, were destroyed in the blaze.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Santa Rosa Island, one of five islands within Channel Islands National Park, is located about 26 miles from the California coast and is home to six native plants that exist nowhere else in the world.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

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Mike\u00a0Theune, the National Park Service\u2019s information officer for the fire, told SFGATE that firefighting personnel are focusing on protecting the\u00a0Torrey pines area, as satellite imagery showed fire within half a mile of the rare species.<\/p>

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\u201cThe Torrey pines are a very unique species. They\u2019re very old,\u201d Theune told SFGATE. \u201cThey\u2019re found naturally only two places in the United States: on this island and also in San Diego.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

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