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A massive wildfire raging across California’s remote Santa Rosa Island is threatening some of the rarest plant species on Earth, including a unique strain of Torrey pine found in only two places worldwide.
The Santa Rosa Island Fire had scorched 17,554 acres and was 44% contained as of 4 p.m. Thursday, nearly a week after flames first erupted on May 15 on the island’s rugged southeastern terrain southwest of Santa Barbara.
Fire crews battling the blaze inside Channel Islands National Park have already confirmed the destruction of at least three historic structures, including Johnson’s Lee Equipment Shed, a nearby storage building and the Wreck Line Camp Cabin.
Now attention is turning to the island’s fragile ecosystem, particularly the Santa Rosa Island Torrey pine, described by the National Park Service as “the rarest native pine in the United States” and “possibly, the rarest pine in the world.”
The species naturally grows only on Santa Rosa Island and near San Diego.
Initial damage assessments released Wednesday offered a small dose of relief: officials said the island’s Torrey pine groves “still exist and remain largely intact.”
But the update also warned that “some small pockets of the Torrey Pines did burn with higher intensity.”
It was not immediately known how many Torrey pines grow on the island, or whether damaged trees can be restored and if additional rare plant species suffered major losses in the fire.
According to the agency, the Santa Rosa Island Torrey pine is classified as a separate subspecies because of “thousands of years of isolation on Santa Rosa” and its extremely limited habitat range.
The fire is also threatening several rare and endangered plants unique to the island, including Santa Rosa Island Manzanita, Santa Rosa Island Live-forever, Hoffmann’s Gilia, Munchkin Dudleya and Island Tree Mallow.
Wildlife populations could also be at risk, including island foxes, island spotted skunks and island deer mice.
Investigators are examining whether the wildfire may have started after a stranded mariner used an SOS flare following a shipwreck.
The blaze forced the closure of Channel Islands National Park as firefighters work to stop flames from advancing toward the historic Main Ranch structures, a scenario officials fear could become catastrophic.
Santa Rosa Island, the second-largest of the Channel Islands at 84 square miles, is known for its isolated wilderness, steep peaks, white-sand beaches and rare ecosystems.
The island features Soledad Peak, rising 1,574 feet, and Black Mountain at 1,298 feet, along with deep canyons, sea cliffs and miles of hiking trails that cut through one of California’s most remote landscapes.
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