SANTA CRUZ ISLAND : Controlled Burn Jumps Fire Line
A prescribed burn aimed at regenerating trees on Santa Cruz Island jumped fire lines early Thursday and continued to burn out of control late in the evening, National Park officials said.
Hand crews and an air tanker fought as 30 m.p.h. winds helped push the blaze across 520 acres on the northeast side of the island near an area called Chinese Harbor.
The fire, which came within four miles of a U.S. Navy radar station, threatened no homes or sensitive wildlife habitats, said Mack Shaver, superintendent of the Channel Islands National Park.
The controlled burn was set Tuesday as part of an experiment to help spread the seeds of bishop pine trees, Shaver said. Winds that kicked up early Thursday fanned embers from the burn and spread fire outside the 400-acre control area, burning mostly dry grass.
“The potential for losing control of the fire is always there, but the weather forecasts indicated that this was totally safe,” Shaver said. “You kind of pay your money and take your chances.”
Shaver said three fresh hand crews from the California Department of Forestry would join three crews on the island to continue battling the blaze today.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
