California's Santa Rosa island, part of Channel Islands National Park, was closed to public access in mid-May 2026 due to a wildfire on the southeast side of the island. The fire began on May 15 and was likely caused by human activity, according to government and news sources. As of May 21, 2026, the fire had burned 17,554 acres and was 44 percent contained.
Click the play button in the lower left corner of the map to view a time-lapse animation of the spread of the wildfire from May 15-20. The images were made from false-color corrected reflectance data acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the NOAA-21 platform. The burned area and fire front appears red and orange, with unburned vegetation in green.
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