Fire scorches much of San Francisco Bay's Angel Island
Campers are evacuated and no one is injured. Firefighters save the state park's historic buildings.
Mother Nature gave the Blue Angels a run for their money as a dramatic island wildfire in the middle of the San Francisco Bay capped off the annual Fleet Week celebration here.
Angel Island, an uninhabited state park and the biggest land mass in the bay, broke out in flames Sunday night just hours after the Navy jets flew off, giving nearby residents and boaters spectacular views of flames and smoke.
By midday today, the fire was 75% contained, said Battalion Chief Mike Giannini of the Marin County Fire Department. Forty campers were evacuated from the island, and no injuries were reported. Commercial ferry service has been suspended indefinitely.
The source of the fire, which broke out at about 9 p.m., is still under investigation. Nearly 400 firefighters, 13 engines, two water tenders and a variety of helicopters fought the island blaze.
It was an odd effort. A dozen of the engines were shipped in by barge from Sausalito. The helicopters dipped into the salt-water bay and various fresh-water sources to help extinguish the fire as it blasted through eucalyptus trees and grasslands.
About 400 acres of the 740-acre island have burned so far, Giannini, but firefighters have been able to protect the clutch of historic buildings that draw tourists, along with the hiking trails and scenic views of San Francisco and the East Bay.
Angel Island was a fishing and hunting site for the Coastal Miwok Indians 3,000 years ago. It later served as a sort of Ellis Island West, where hundreds of thousands of immigrants -- mostly from China -- were processed. Japanese and German POWs were held there during World War II.
"All of the major areas have been protected by the firefighters, the batteries and garrisons and old buildings," Giannini said. "All of those were able to dodge the flames. . . . We expect full containment sooner rather than later."
maria.laganga@latimes.com
