When ecologist Michelle Gados learned of a fire on Santa Rosa Island, she couldn’t fully comprehend what she was hearing.

It was a calm, foggy morning in May — not the right time of year for backcountry camping in that part of the island, where her colleague was reporting the fire over the radio.

“I just didn’t register (it). Like, that’s impossible,” Gados said. “He went and got eyes on it — and it was happening.”

The arrival of the flames would mark the beginning of the largest fire in the island’s recorded history, lasting from May 15 through June 4.

Gados, a restoration ecologist for Channel Islands National Park, believed that the fire would be small and quickly addressed. However, by that night, the blaze was still going.

Fire crews arrived around 9:30 p.m., and by 10:30 p.m., Gados and other staff were setting up a spike camp near an old military compound on the island.

However, the flames were already approaching the compound and could be seen from about 500 feet away. The crews quickly set some controlled blazes to stop the forward momentum and evacuated.

“That day, it was just a lot of driving around and trying to get familiar with roads,” Gados said. “You need to formulate a plan as to attack the fire, but (keep) the fire crews safe.”

By the time crews fully contained the fire, it would blacken almost a third of the island, including 23.25 miles of roads and 25.6 miles of trails. The 18,379-acre blaze is now the largest recorded wildfire in Channel Islands history.

Firefighting efforts were delayed by the need to transport heavy equipment and supplies to the island, according to a report released after the fire. Santa Rosa Island is 26 miles off the Santa Barbara coast.

Strong winds and thick clouds also delayed air support, while boosting the fire’s ability to spread. Crews were initially forced to fight the flames only on the ground.

The fire destroyed much of the native plant life that park staff have been working to revitalize.

The island’s native vegetation was barely making a comeback after years of struggling to survive the presence of invasive species, such as nonnative plants and animals.  

One of the most devastating impacts to Santa Rosa’s ecosystem was the damage to the island’s collection of Torrey pine trees.

That specific species of tree grows only on Santa Rosa Island and at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego County, and Santa Rosa’s Torrey pines are a subspecies that only occurs naturally on the island.

After the fire, a Burned Area Emergency Response Report was compiled assessing the short- and long-term effects of the fire on local vegetation, wildlife, camping and hiking areas, and more.

The report found that 60% to 80% of the pines were damaged by the fire. The study estimates that the island could lose up to 80% of its Torrey pines.

The long-lasting effects of fire on Torrey pines were unknown because of the rarity of the trees and the limited history of fires on the island. However, the new report suggests that the pines were not suited to high heat.

Crews have conducted scratch tests on the trees to see whether they are still producing sap, but multiple tests showed most fire-damaged trees were dry and somewhat brittle.

That suggests that the heat from the flames destroyed the tree’s internal plumbing, per the report.

Gados said the park lost about 120 plants that were installed in the fall of 2025.

“When we got evacuated, it was just gut-wrenching to watch it advance day after day,” Gados said. “Seeing it get closer to the Torrey pines was like, ‘No, it can’t be happening.’ I was just in denial and in shock.”

Rebuilding From the Fire

In the aftermath of the fire, the staff’s immediate concern is to prepare for the winter.

The flames burned away much of the vegetation that provided stability for the island’s hills and slopes. Roots and other vegetation help anchor soil during storms, and hills are likely to erode with nothing to hold them in place.

Erosion means seeds and saplings growing after the fire will be washed away during storms, undoing months of progress.

In the meantime, volunteers are working to build wattles for staff to place around the burned areas. Wattles are long, cigar-like tubes made of organic materials that help prevent landslides by slowing down water and catching soil.

Park staff are working to make about 10,000 feet to place around the island.

David Mazurkiewicz, a wildlife biologist for the park, said staff also have a roadmap to recovery outlined in the BAER report, called the BAR Phase, which stands for burned area rehabilitation.

The report outlines five years of treatment to help support the island’s growth. The BAR Phase includes reforestation, trail rehabilitation and more.

“Right now, we’re just trying to get everything done in the emergency stabilization phase,” Mazurkiewicz said, “and then the out years will be monitoring reforestation, weed treatments and just trying to keep up native plant propagation.”

Despite his first impression upon returning to the island after the fire, Mazurkiewicz said he has seen positive signs for the island.

One of the positives is that much of the fire damage was not as severe as it could have been. Additionally, a lot of the vegetation that the fire burned was non-native grasses and plants that park staff is working to remove.

“When I first came out on the boat, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is going to be tough,’” Mazurkiewicz said. “But then each subsequent trip, you’re like, ‘Wow, that looks great over there.’”

As for the Torrey pines, Mazurkiewicz said it is too soon to tell. While there are signs of life, staff won’t know how they react until later in the season.

A Chance to Learn

At the island’s nursery, staff collect seeds from native plants and grow them in covered structures, called shade houses. The seeds are planted and allowed to grow until they sprout and reach a few inches tall.

Once a plant grows enough, staff remove it from its home in the shade house and place it outside so it can become used to the elements. Park staff then plant the seedling around the island.

Karen Flagg, a restoration ecologist on the island, said the nursery was first established in the mid-1990s. The nursery hosts shrubs, bushes and wildflowers native to the island.

“The restoration part for us is the areas that have not recovered naturally, that are so damaged that they need a bit of help,” Flagg said.

Restoring the island to its natural state has been the goal of the National Park Service since it officially purchased the island in 1986. Since then, park staff have been working to reintroduce the island’s native species and remove foreign agents.

The island previously belonged to Walter Vail and J.V. Vickers, a pair of Arizona ranchers who purchased it near the beginning of the 20th century.

The pair introduced cattle after years of sheep herding on the island. The Vail family would later begin introducing deer and elk to the island, and it later served as a hunting retreat.

The families were forced to fully give up control of the island in 2011 after all the elk and deer were gone. A deal made after the 1986 sale allowed the family to continue its hunting operation until the animals were completely gone from the island.

The presence of the cattle and game had a devastating effect on the island’s ecosystem. Torrey pines were a popular treat for the deer, who would happily lap up any seedling they could find.

Flagg said the recovery of the island’s natural state since the Park Service took over is amazing.

“When you go down this canyon to go to the pier, all that canyon when the cattle were here was just dirt,” she said.

Despite the fire’s impact, Flagg said she feels hopeful about the island’s future. Even though the trees were damaged by the flames, the fire creates new opportunities for staff to learn how they react to fire.

“The Torrey pines have not been extensively studied,” Flagg said. “So, nobody really knows how they’re going to react to being burnt and damage.”

Camping on the Island

Park staff announced on Sept. 22 that overnight camping will resume on Oct. 14 and will accept reservations for the Water Canyon Campground and backcountry beach camping in the northwest and southwest quadrants.

Backcountry camping within the southeastern quadrant will remain closed for the remainder of the 2026 recreation season. Shorelines adjacent to the burned areas are also closed.

Burned areas of the island are still off-limits to visitors, including overnight spots at Johnson’s Lee, Ford Point and Southeast Anchorage.