Wildfire almost destroyed a pristine California island. Inside the fight to save this ecological oasis

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

SANTA ROSA ISLAND — Just steps above a white sand beach with calm, turquoise waves, the effects of the largest fire in Channel Islands National Park history are particularly stark: Fields of island grasses and chaparral have been reduced to ash, the earth singed to black.Hillsides are colored a rusty red from desperate retardant drops.

And when the wind whips, the air reeks of a potent campfire — but no campers are around.It’s been just four days since firefighters reached 100% containment of the 18,379-acre blaze that scorched about one-third of the island and damaged many prized resources, including the island’s rare Torrey pines.

The remote island — some 30 miles southwest of Santa Barbara — is typically quiet, yet the stillness feels almost heavy this sunny afternoon.The 150 firefighters who responded to the blaze have returned to the mainland, and the island remains closed to the public.

The only humans who remain are a team of about a dozen park rangers and Department of Interior scientists who are working to review the fire damage and understand the scale of the loss.Their findings will serve to prepare for what will likely be a years-long mitigation and restoration effort.

“There’s a lot of unknowns,” said Sasha Travaglio, a spokesperson for the Santa Rosa Island fire Burned Area Emergency Response team, which includes a hydrologist, a soil scientist, an archaeologist, a paleontologist and a botanist.“The island ecosystem is pretty diverse and complex.

There are a lot of things at play: wind, visitation, the remoteness of the island.”Still, officials say the initial days of fieldwork on this ecologically rich and culturally sensitive islandhave found signs of hope.Climate & Environment A destructive wildfire burned through a third of Santa Rosa Island.

For one reporter, the loss isn’t theoretical — it’s a personal reckoning with a ch...