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OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A fire broke out Thursday afternoon at the iconic Oceanside Pier, leading to a massive, hours-long firefight that prevented flames from engulfing the entire structure.
The fire was reported around 3 p.m. Thursday at the end of the historic pier, a major tourist attraction in Southern California. Flames tore through a now-vacant restaurant that once housed a Ruby’s Diner, sending a large plume of black smoke overhead.
Residents as far east as Vista and as far south as Del Mar reported being able to see the smoke.
About 200 people – from firefighters to police – were on scene minutes later. Several vessels, including three U.S. Coast Guard vessels, fought the fire from the ocean, while the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and helicopters from San Diego Gas & Electric conducted water drops to the above their heads.
The wind posed problems for firefighters battling the pier fire, with individual gusts blowing between 17 and 20 miles per hour around 4:45 p.m. Around 5 p.m., the thick black smoke began to rise. attenuate, although heavy plumes of white smoke continued to blow from the structure.
Could Oceanside Pier collapse due to fire?
The North County Fire Protection District issued a fire advisory due to heavy smoke Thursday afternoon that could impact the communities of Fallbrook and Bonsall northeast of the coastal city – conditions which “significantly improved” on Friday morning.
Shortly before 6 p.m., Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons said crews stopped the fire’s progress about 15 feet past the section of the pier where the restaurant was located, called “hammerhead “.
“We put out a very difficult and unique fire,” Parsons said at a news conference around 7 p.m. “We were concerned that the pier would be destroyed… It’s a wooden structure, everything on it is combustible.”
All employees have been accounted for and no injuries have been reported, according to Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez. No injuries were reported among personnel who fought the fire.
Crews remained on scene overnight to continue attacking remaining flames and smoldering remnants. According to Parsons, there were a few fires, some of which were controlled to access hard-to-reach places under the bridge.
Oceanside firefighters and watercraft continued their efforts to contain the fire at 10 a.m. Friday. Parsons added that they have not yet declared the fire under control, but are “almost there.” The fire chief said he was optimistic all fire activity would decrease by Saturday.
Everything around the hammerhead shark area appears to have suffered “significant damage” from the fire, the fire chief said. This includes the pier decking and substructure, the restaurant and a small kiosk which housed another restaurant, called the Brine Box. The roof of Ruby’s, now closed, then collapsed on itself.
“What is happening on the pier is sad and scary,” Brine Box, the fish and chip shop, said in an updated Instagram post Friday morning. “Chief Rachel saw smoke rising under the pier behind the old Ruby’s building and called 911. Fortunately, everyone was evacuated safely. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
As of Friday, Parsons said 90 percent of the pier appears to have been unaffected due to intensive firefighting efforts. Engineers were brought in to identify which parts of the pier are salvageable or structurally sound.
“The hammerhead shark…it’s pretty much a total loss,” Oceanside Deputy Fire Chief Jess Specht said Friday afternoon.
Oceanside Pier fire leads to beach closure
Around 10 a.m. Friday, the fire chief said they were stopping all operations to enter what’s called a “tactical pause,” to allow crews to assess the scene without any activity. This included using drones to examine the impact of fires in hard-to-reach locations under the bridge.
Throughout Friday afternoon, ground crews began removing debris from the pier. Work will continue until 7 p.m. and will resume Saturday morning.
“We’re basically going to take the building apart to open it up for water spray,” Specht said of those debris removal efforts.
The cause has not been determined, but Parsons said Oceanside Fire investigators will be called in to identify its origin. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is assisting in the investigation.
So far, firefighters “haven’t ruled anything out in terms of cause,” Parsons said, later adding that “we still have about 12 to 24 hours before (investigators) are able to take a preliminary decision”.
Meanwhile, officials have ordered beach closures for a portion of the Oceanside coast south of the pier, from Surfrider in the north to Tyson Street in the south, as a precautionary measure due to falling debris that would have could have washed up on the shore. Signs and barricades have been placed in these areas.
The Coast Guard also declared a 500-meter safety zone around the pier, and a temporary flight restriction was put in place near the pier to avoid interference with authorities’ drones.
“We have some debris washed up on the shore,” Parsons said. “We can’t monitor every inch of that beach and it’s a public safety issue if people get into that water… We don’t want people to get sick and come into contact with potentially contaminated water. “
The Junior Seau Beach Pier and Recreation Center will also remain closed until further notice, city officials said. The small Harbor Pier which adjoins the structure will, however, remain open to fishing.
We do not yet know when the beaches will be able to reopen. According to Parsons, that determination is made based on water quality and the county will have to sample it before giving the go-ahead. He said county health officials will be on site at 7 a.m. Saturday to test the water near the pier for any hazards.
Just hours after the fire started, Mayor Sanchez told FOX 5/KUSI the city was committed to rebuilding the pier, adding that she had been in contact with Rep. Mike Levin (D-49 ), State Senator Catherine Blakespear and San Diego. Mayor Todd Gloria.
Oceanside officials said they are in the process of declaring a local emergency to open up funds for repairs to the pier. The coastal city’s legislative delegation is also working on a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden to request emergency financial aid.
“We’re going to get our pier back,” Sanchez said in a phone call with FOX 5 Thursday, speaking to Oceanside residents. “For now, if you could stay clear of the area to ensure our public safety vehicles can get through.”
The Oceanside Pier was built in 1888, but has been rebuilt several times due to damage from fires and storms. The current pier, which was erected in 1987 south of the pier’s original location, marked the sixth reincarnation of the structure, according to Kristi Hawthorne of the Oceanside Historical Society.
The restaurant at the end of the pier became an attraction several years earlier, in the 1970s. However, the building has been vacant since February 2021, when Ruby’s Diner closed after 25 years.
At 1,954 feet long, the wooden pier is the second longest of its type in California and the longest in Southern California.
Photos: A glimpse into the past as Oceanside recovers from pier fire
Last year, the city invested about $5.5 million in upgrades to the pier, including new electrical systems and pipes. According to Sánchez, work was also underway to update the pier’s fire system, which the mayor said prevented this fire from damaging the entire structure.
Sanchez added that renovation work was underway inside the restaurant before Thursday’s fire, but details on what would replace Ruby’s once the work was nearly complete were not released.
“We always rebuilt,” Hawthorne said. “The piers have grown with the city.”
Regardless, Oceanside residents were shaken by the likely closure of the pier for repairs.
“Thank God I was able to go yesterday, because I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to get back into it,” resident Amy Papacek told FOX 5/KUSI. “It’s what you think of when you think of Oceanside, it’s iconic.”
“This is going to be a very significant issue because the pier itself draws over a million people here and, therefore, it brings us into downtown on a regular basis,” said Kim Heim of Main Street Oceanside.
Above: FOX 5’s Kasia Gregorcyzk explains how residents are reacting to the pier fire.
“This is more than just a milestone for the rest of our region. It’s a piece of home for generations of Oceansiders,” Oceanside City Council Member Eric Joyce said Friday. “When we talk to people walking around, they are still in shock. We will go through some grief as a community.
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