A Coast Guard helicopter crew pulled a 67-year-old sailor to safety from Santa Rosa Island Friday morning after his sailboat struck rocks along the island’s coastline, all while a wildfire continued to burn nearby with zero containment.
The rescue was carried out by an MH-60T Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Ventura on Friday, May 15th. The crew located the mariner, who had spent the night stranded on the island, deployed a rescue swimmer, and hoisted him aboard at 10:38am. He was uninjured. Crews then transferred him to medical personnel waiting at Camarillo Airport.
The incident unfolded against the backdrop of an active wildfire on the south side of Santa Rosa Island, burning between Ford Point and South Point. The blaze, called the Santa Rosa Island Fire, was reported on May 15th and has grown to 10,029 acres. As of this writing, the wildfire remains at zero percent containment. It is being managed under a unified command by the National Park Service and falls within Santa Barbara County.
The cause of the wildfire is currently under investigation, but no civilian or firefighter injuries or fatalities have been reported and no structures have been listed as threatened, destroyed, or damaged.
Santa Rosa Island is part of Channel Islands National Park, located roughly 40 miles off the coast of Ventura. The island is largely roadless and accessible only by boat or small aircraft, presenting significant challenges for both firefighting operations and maritime rescues.
