Santa Rosa Island fire burns more than 10,000 acres, threatening rare plants and animals - BERITAJA

A human-caused occurrence dispersed to much than 10,000 acres Sunday nighttime connected the southbound broadside of Santa Rosa Island, the second-largest of the Channel Islands.

The fire destroyed 2 structures — a compartment and an instrumentality shed — and forced the removal of 11 National Park Service employees, who were rescued by a Santa Barbara County Fire Department helicopter.

As of Sunday night, 70 firefighters and parkland rangers were battling the fire, which is threatening six works type autochthonal to the land that aren’t recovered anyplace other successful the world, according to the Channel Islands National Park Service. The land is besides location to animals specified arsenic land foxes, spotted skunks and elephant seals.

The occurrence was first spotted by an craft Friday nighttime and grew to much than 5,000 acres by Saturday night, according to Cal Fire.

Smoke from the flames dispersed passim the L.A. area connected Sunday and was expected to drift passim the region done Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The perimeter of the occurrence is 0% contained. According to the parkland service’s website, the occurrence was human-caused but is still nether investigation.

Santa Rosa Island sits about 26 miles disconnected Santa Barbara.