Fire in Santa Rosa
This was posted by the channel islands harbor Facebook page. I had heard a flare started the fire, but that is not accurate TLDR below
Ok the story is out from ventura tow boatUs with what happened on the vessel at Santa Rosa Island and what really caused the fire !
The fire at Santa Rosa Island is a deeply tragic incident within a protected National Park and Marine Sanctuary. Our thoughts are with the safety and well-being of all responders, as well as the National Park employees and stewards who dedicate themselves to protecting and preserving the unique environment and natural beauty of Santa Rosa Island.
Due to significant public discussion and speculation surrounding the recent fire incident on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Watch Marine Services Inc.
("Channel Watch") would like to provide a factual summary of events based on information shared with us and information we reasonably believe to be accurate.
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on May 15, 2026, Channel Watch monitored Coast Guard radio traffic reporting a fire on the south side of Santa Rosa Island. Later that morning, fishing vessels reported seeing emergency flares and an individual near the fire area, along with a sailboat mast but no visible vessel, leading to speculation that the boat had sunk and the flares may have caused the fire.
According to the mariner, the vessel ran aground on the afternoon of May 14. Due to heavy surf and the vessel violently striking rocks, he abandoned the boat and moved to safety ashore. At approximately 3pm, the vessel caught fire. Unable to call for help from the Island, he hoped the smoke from his vessel's fire would attract attention to his distress, but to no avail. The following morning, he deployed several aerial distress flares from within the already-burned area on the Island as nearby fishing vessels approached, successfully alerting boaters to his presence who made the report to the Coast Guard. Based on the information available at this time, Channel Watch's preliminary understanding is that the island fire appears more likely to have originated from embers produced by the burning vessel than from the distress flares.
Channel Watch will continue coordinating with authorities and the vessel's insurance company on debris removal efforts. The cause of the vessel grounding and vessel fire are under investigation. All media inquiries should be directed to the National Park Service Public
Information Officer.
TLDR. Embers from the burning boat caused the fire