California island fire linked to sailor’s distress flare scorches 10,000 acres

Key points

• A wildfire that broke out on an island in the Channel Islands national park has become California’s largest wildfire so far this year, burning through more than 10,000 acres, destroying historic structures and endangering rare plant communities that conservationists had struggled to reclaim.
• About six dozen firefighters have been deployed to control the blaze, which broke out on Friday, but their efforts have been undermined by strong winds.
• The fire is now at 0% containment, according to a Cal Fire incident report.
• The fire on Santa Rosa Island appears to have started after a sailor crashed his boat against the rocks on the shore of the island, leaving him stranded.
• The 67-year-old man shot at least two flares in an attempt to get passing boats to take notice of him.