More than a week after a series of large wildfires broke out across Southern California and burned nearly 23,000 acres of land, firefighters are finally reaching full containment.
The series of fires, which forced tens of thousands of people to flee from their homes in the midst of hot and dry weather, took place in a variety of Southern California topographies.
Santa Rosa Island Fire
By far the largest fire erupted on Santa Rosa Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park, on May 15. It quickly grew to engulf more than 10,000 acres before firefighting aircraft were finally able to reach the location and begin working at mitigating the blaze.
It’s estimated that at least three historic buildings were destroyed and at the latest update, firefighters said that 18,379 acres of the rare vegetation on the island had burned. Video from park rangers did show, however, that the Torrey pines, which only grow on Santa Rosa Island and along the San Diego coast, somehow escaped destruction…