A sailor stranded on an island off the California coast and hoping for rescue inadvertently started a wildfire that has grown into the state's largest one one of the year. 

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the 67-year-old man's sailboat crashed on the rocks of Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park. He fired emergency flares to signal for help, which started a wildfire Friday that grew to more than 10,000 acres. 

A Coast Guard deployed a rescue swimmer, who helped the man get hoisted into a helicopter. The man, who was uninjured, had spent the night on the island. 

Over 70 firefighters have responded to the blaze, according to SFGate. The island is 53,000 acres, most of which is grassland and sandy beaches.