11 National Park Service workers evacuated by helicopter amid California fire

A Santa Barbara County Fire Department helicopter evacuated 11 National Park Service employees from Santa Rosa Island on Sunday as a human-caused wildfire spread across more than 10,000 acres and threatened to cut off employee housing.

“Helicopter Rescue – Helicopter 964 successfully evacuated 11 National Park Service employees from Santa Rosa Island today amid the ongoing vegetation fire,” SBC Fire wrote Sunday night on X. “The crew safely transported all personnel from employee housing — threatened with being cut off by the fire — to Oxnard Airport, with no injuries reported.

“This swift operation ensured the safety of our dedicated park staff.”

The rescue came as crews battled the wind-driven blaze on the remote Channel Islands National Park island, where officials said the fire had destroyed two structures and remained 0% contained as of Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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The fire, burning on the south side of Santa Rosa Island between Ford Point and South Point, had been mapped at 10,025 acres by Sunday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. The National Park Service, which has jurisdiction over the incident, has described the fire as human-caused and under investigation.

The smoke from the island fire blew east to the California coast and will be impacting air quality early this week, the National Weather Service in San Diego reported.

“If you’ve smelled smoke today, you’re not imagining things,” NWS San Diego wrote Sunday on X. “Smoke from the Santa Rosa Islands Fire has been drifting towards our region. The HRRR model shows near-surface smoke through at least Tuesday, assuming the fire continues.”

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The agency advised the public to monitor air quality at http://airnow.gov.

The blaze also poses an ecological threat on Santa Rosa Island, the second-largest of the Channel Islands and home to rare plants and animals. Park officials said the fire is threatening six plant species native to the island that are found nowhere else in the world, while the island also supports wildlife including island foxes, spotted skunks and elephant seals.

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About 70 firefighters and park rangers were battling the fire Sunday night, according to the Times.

The island, located about 26 miles off Santa Barbara, has been closed to visitors at least through this week as crews continue suppression efforts.