California island fire linked to sailor's distress flare scorches 10,000 acres
Fire on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands national park becomes state's largest this year and threatens rare plants
www.theguardian.comfire on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park scorched tens of thousands of acres, becoming California's largest wildfire of the year. Containment work continue as of late May, multi-agency teams working to control the fire, while some historic buildings were lost. Access to the island was restricted to safeguard rare flora and fauna. The fire was sparked after a mariner crashed his boat, as reported by Coast Guard and NPS. Containment has improved with multi-agency coordination. There have been no reported civilian or firefighter casualties. Environmental impacts on unique plant and animal life remain a focus of suppression and repair work.