Fire erupts on Oceanside Pier in San Diego

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) – Crews are battling a fire that broke out on the Oceanside Pier in San Diego, California Thursday afternoon.

The fire, reported just after 3 p.m., was burning in a vacant restaurant at the end of the pier, Oceanside Fire Department said. The business was formerly a Ruby’s Diner.

A large plume of smoke was seen rising from the burning structures. Residents as far east as Vista and as far south as Del Mar reported being able to see the smoke.

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Several vessels, including three U.S. Coast Guard ships, were fighting the blaze from the ocean. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Diego Gas & Electric helicopters were making drops onto the pier.

Flames also spread to Brine Box, a much smaller eatery just north of the former diner.

“What’s happening on the pier is sad and scary. We want you to know that our team is safe,” the fish and chips shop posted on Instagram.

All employees were accounted for and no injuries were reported, according to Mayor Esther C. Sanchez.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons said crews had stopped forward progress of the fire.

Wind was causing problems for firefighters battling the pier fire, with individual gusts hitting around 17 to 20 miles per hour around 4:45 p.m. As of 5 p.m., the thick black smoke began to subside, although heavy plumes of white smoke continued to billow from the structure. North County Fire Protection District issued a fire advisory due to heavy smoke that could impact the Fallbrook and Bonsall communities to the northeast of the coastal city.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Hours into the firefight, the mayor said the city is committed to rebuilding the pier, adding that she has been in contact with Rep. Mike Levin (D-49), state Sen. Catherine Blakespear and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

“To the citizens of Oceanside, we’re going to get our pier back,” Sanchez said. “For now, if you could stay away from the area to make sure that our publish safety vehicles are able to go through.”

The Oceanside Pier was originally built in 1888, but has been rebuilt multiple times due to damage sustained in fires and storms. The current pier, which was erected in 1987, marked the sixth reincarnation of the structure, according to Kristi Hawthorne with the Oceanside Historical Society.

The restaurant at the end of the pier became a feature several years earlier, in the 1970s. However, the building has been vacant since February 2021, when the Ruby’s Diner location closed its doors after 25 years.

Standing at 1,954 feet in length, the wooden pier is the second longest of its kind in California and the longest in Southern California.

“We’ve always rebuilt,” Hawthorne said. “The piers have grown with the city … It’s our landmark.”

Last year, the city poured around $5.5 million into upgrades for the pier, including new electrical systems and pipes. According to Sanchez, work was also being done to update the pier’s fire system — something the mayor said prevented this fire from damaging the entire structure.

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