Nearly one-fifth of Calif. national park island has burned in human-caused fire

May 17-A wildfire on the second-largest island in California's Channel Islands National Park had burned over 10,000 acres Sunday night, destroying two historic structures and threatening rare plant species, with zero containment.

The Santa Rosa Island Fire was burning in the rugged and remote southern and eastern sides of 53,000-acre Santa Rosa Island. Eleven National Park Service employees were rescued from their housing Sunday with no injuries, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, but a Park Service incident report called it a "human-caused wildfire." The Park Service closed the island to day and overnight use for at least this week.

The island is home to six plant species found nowhere else in the world. This includes a subspecies of Torrey pine tree, North America's rarest pine.

The fire was discovered Friday afternoon and by Saturday night it had grown over 5,000 acres, spreading to San Augustine Canyon to the east and the South Point Lighthouse to the west. The condition of the lighthouse was unknown.

Dozens of firefighters were on the island Sunday night, with fire activity slowing in the west, National Park Service officials said.

"The fire is moving towards the northwest and is expected to continue to move northward as the weather shifts on Monday," a Park Service incident report said.

Two historic structures on the island were reported destroyed: Johnson's Lee Equipment Shed to the west, and Wreck Line Camp Cabin on the eastern edge.

Sediment records have found that wildfires on the Channel Island are rarer than on the nearby mainland, thanks in part to a foggier climate and fewer fuel sources.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 2:20 AM.