Oct 14, 2008 12:00 am US/Pacific
Half Of Angel Island Burned; Containment Near
ANGEL ISLAND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
More than 250 firefighters helped corral a wildfire Monday that charred more than half of Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay, but spared scores of historical structures, some dating back to the American Civil War.
The blaze on the Bay's largest island, which had spread to about 400 acres since it started around 9 p.m. Sunday, was 75 percent contained by Monday afternoon, state park officials said.
Officials expected full containment of the fire by 6 p.m. Tuesday.
"Firefighters have initiated the mop up and are extinguishing the remaining hot spots," said Marin County Fire spokesman Mike Giannini.
"It's looking really good now," said fire spokeswoman Sandy Wargo. "Weather is going to dictate how quickly the fire is fully contained."
The fire was burning on the island's highest point, Mount Livermore, which is 781 feet above sea level. Rugged terrain and difficulty transporting equipment across the Bay complicated efforts to contain the fire.
Hundreds of firefighters from San Francisco and Marin counties and about 20 fire engines had to be ferried to the 740-acre island by boat and barge to corral the blaze. No injuries were reported.
The brush fire started near some campsites and forced the evacuation of about 40 campers Sunday night, officials said. The cause of the wildfire was still under investigation.
The island off Marin County is home to more than 120 historical structures, including a military garrison built during the Civil War, the World War I-era Fort McDowell, and an immigration station in the early 1900s. Known as the "Ellis island of the West" and "The Guardian of the Western Gate," the station was the first stop for millions of immigrants, mostly from China, into the country.
Angel Island's also a popular hiking and biking destination easily accessed by ferry from nearby Tiburon.
The fire destroyed one abandoned water tank, but none of the island's historical structures have been damaged, said park superintendent Dave Matthews. Power to the island had been cut off for safety reasons.
"Many of the historical buildings were threatened. That would have been a significant loss to the cultural history of California," Matthews said. "Fortunately, the firefighters saved what he had."
Shooting flames and plumes of heavy smoke streaming from the island could be seen from miles away, and the smell of charred vegetation permeated surrounding communities.
On the island itself, helicopters dropped water on open flames Monday, while firefighters cleared brush and dug fire lines against the backdrop of the San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge.
The island, which is a state park, would be closed to visitors for at least one to two weeks, Matthews said. The park had planned to give journalists a preview of a $15 million restoration of the Angel Island Immigration Station on Tuesday, but that event was canceled.
Officials said it was the largest wildfire on the island that they could remember. The last major fire burned 25 acres three years ago.
A local environmental scientist said this year's fire could have been much worse had it not been for 80 acres of eucalyptus trees that were removed from the island in 1992 and 1996.
"If we hadn't done that, the whole south side of the island would have burned. It would have been horrific," said Dave Boyd, a retired senior environmental scientist who managed natural resources for the California State Parks Department.
"There would be spot fires everywhere. With enough wind, there could have been spot fires in Tiburon," he explained. "The fire danger would have been through the roof. The stringy bark catches on fire and goes way up in the air."
The fire will eventually help rejuvenate the island's chaparral and woodland ecosystems, but could leave the land vulnerable to erosion and mudslides during the winter rainy season, Matthews said.
"There will be tremendous green-up after the winter rains," Boyd added. "There will be new growth and the brush will come right back up."
Fortunately, experts indicated that the vegetation fire did not appear to have significantly harmed the island's wildlife.
Firefighters had not found deer or other carcasses on the island, said Kent Julin, a forester with the Marin County Fire Department. It's estimated there are about 60 deer on the island.
"Chances are the deer had an opportunity to flee the fire," Boyd said. "There are no rabbits, fox, coyote. This is not bird-nesting season. The impact will not be all that great," Boyd said.
Park officials also planned to search the charred grounds for cultural artifacts such as old cannonballs and horseshoes that may have been uncovered by the fire.
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