Air Tankers Hit Santa Rosa Island Fire as Containment Grows
A modified Boeing 737 dropped retardant on key buildings as the fire on the Channel Islands reached 26% containment.
By Hans Laetz
A modified Boeing 737 jet made several fire retardant drops on key installations on Santa Rosa Island, which is on fire.
The island is 70 miles west of Point Dume, a part of the Channel Islands National Monument. The fire that has been burning there has been sending copious amounts of smoke and haze into Malibu and the L.A. basin.
The 737 jet was one of several aircraft that dumped fire retardant on the Main Ranch complex and park housing on the island. Choppers sucked up saltwater and dropped it on the tip of the island as flames crossed the Main Road there. This helped cool the fire's edge and slow its spread.
The South Point Lighthouse has been saved.
Almost one third of the 53,000-acre island has burned. Containment of the Santa Rosa Island fire has grown to 26% yesterday. A break in gusty winds that allowed for air operations helped to limit the fire's spread.
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