CHANNEL ISLANDS, Calif. (KEYT) – A nearly 17,000-acre fire continues to burn across Santa Rosa Island after it reportedly sparked early Friday, May 15 in the hours leading up to the rescue of a stranded mariner.
A new timeline shared with Your News Channel by Channel Watch Marine Services Inc. DBA TowBoatUS Ventura ("Channel Watch") gives a more detailed account of what that stranded mariner may have experienced.
On May 15, Your News Channel broke the news about the rescue of a 67-year-old sailor who was stranded on the remote island and was spotted by a local sport fishing captain while a vegetation fire raged nearby.
The airlifted man had no injuries shared the U.S. Coast Guard Friday.
Since then though, the nearby vegetation fire has grown to be the largest wildfire this year according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
On Tuesday, Channel Watch stated that the 67-year-old shared with them that the sailboat he was piloting had run aground in the afternoon of May 14, a day earlier than previously reported, due to heavy surf.
Around 3 p.m., the vessel caught fire, but the smoke did not attract the attention of passing ships as the man had hoped.
Courtesy: Channel Watch Marine Services Inc. DBA TowBoatUS Ventura (Channel Watch)The next morning, the 67-year-old fired several distress flares and that is how local sport fishing captain Jace Malone aboard the New Hustler spotted the stranded man.
Image shared by Jace Malone with Your News Channel on May 15, 2026.Captain Malone navigated closer to the island, saw both the stranded man and the mast of the destroyed sailboat, and waited until a Coast Guard helicopter airlifted the man to Camarillo Airport.
Image shared by Jace Malone showing the man and the remains of the sailboat in the foreground. Shared with Your News Channel on May 15, 2026.While the local sport fishing captain noted that the New Hustler and crew returned to their fishing excursion after the Coast Guard had released the Hook's Landing group from assisting in the response, the fire has continued to burn.
The stranded mariner being airlifted to safety. Image courtesy of Jace Malone.The flames have spread from the initial site of the rescue near Ford Point on the southeastern edge across the federally-protected island as shown in the image below, courtesy of the National Parks Service.
Over the weekend, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department evacuated all eleven federal parks employees on the island as the fire continued to grow and the entire island is now closed to the public.
Santa Rosa Island is home to six native plant species which includes a stand of Torrey Pine Trees. This is only one of two locations in the world where they naturally grow.
New Timeline Reveals Details, Potential Cause of Santa Rosa Island Fire News Channel 3-12.
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