Oceanside Pier fire rips through vacant restaurant

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article included a video that contained an error. That video has been removed.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A fire broke out on the iconic Oceanside Pier Thursday afternoon, leading to a massive, hours-long firefight that stopped the flames from engulfing the entire structure.

The blaze was reported at 3 p.m. Thursday at the end of the historic pier, a major tourist attraction in Southern California. Flames ripped through a now-vacant restaurant building that formerly housed a Ruby’s Diner, sending a large plume of black smoke billowing overhead.

Residents as far east as Vista and as far south as Del Mar reported being able to see the smoke.

About 200 personnel — from fire crews to police — were on scene minutes later. Several vessels, including three U.S. Coast Guard ships, fought the fire from the ocean, while San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Diego Gas & Electric helicopters made overhead water drops.

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. Around 5 p.m., the thick black smoke began to subside, although heavy plumes of white smoke continued to blow from the structure.

Could the Oceanside Pier collapse due to fire?

North County Fire Protection District issued a fire advisory due to heavy smoke Thursday afternoon that could impact the Fallbrook and Bonsall communities to the northeast of the coastal city — conditions that were “much improved” by Friday morning.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons said crews had stopped forward progress of the fire around 15 feet past the section of the pier where the restaurant was located, called the “hammerhead.”

“We put a stop to a very difficult and unique fire,” Parsons said in a press conference around 7 p.m. “We were concerned that it was going to take out the pier … It’s a wood structure, everything on that is combustible.”

All employees were accounted for and no injuries were reported, according to Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez. No injuries were reported to any personnel who battled the fire.

Crews remained on scene overnight to continue attacking any remaining flames and leftover smoldering. According to Parsons, there was a bit of fire activity, including some that was controlled to get access to hard-to-reach spots underneath the deck.

Oceanside firefighters and water boats were still continuing those efforts to contain the blaze by 10 a.m. on Friday. Parsons added that they have not declared the fire under control yet, but are “almost there.” The fire chief said that he is optimistic all fire activity will subside by Saturday.

Everything around the hammerhead area appeared to have sustained “significant damage” from the fire, the fire chief said. This includes the pier’s decking and substructure, the restaurant and a small kiosk that housed another eatery, called the Brine Box. The roof of the now-shuttered Ruby’s later collapsed into itself.

“What’s happening on the pier is sad and scary,” Brine Box, the fish and chips shop, said in an Instagram post that was updated Friday morning. “Chef Rachel saw smoke coming up from underneath the pier, behind the old Ruby’s building and called 911. Thankfully, everyone was evacuated safely. We will keep you updated as we learn more.”

On Friday, Parsons said that 90 percent of the pier appears to have been unimpacted due to the extensive firefighting efforts. Engineers have been brought in to identify what parts of the pier are salvageable or structurally sound.

“The hammerhead … that is more or less a total loss,” Oceanside Deputy Fire Chief Jess Specht said Friday afternoon.

Oceanside Pier fire prompts beach closure

Around 10 a.m. Friday, the fire chief said they were stopping all operations to go into what is called a “tactical pause,” as to allow crews to assess the scene without any activity. This included use of drones to take a look at the fires’ impact in hard-to-reach spots under the deck.

Throughout Friday afternoon, ground crews began debris removal on the pier — work that will continue until 7 p.m. and resume Saturday morning.

“We’re going in and essentially peeling apart the building to open it up for the water streams to hit,” Specht said of these debris removal efforts.

On Friday evening, fire officials declared the fire under control, meaning that all forward progress on the fire has been stopped.

“We are confident that we can move into the overhaul phase, which is just continuing to monitor the conditions, ensuring there are no hidden fires that are going to flare up, and that’s our plan for this evening,” said Blake Dorse, Division Chief with the Oceanside Fire Department.

Only one engine will remain on scene overnight under fire watch, Dorse added.

A cause has not been determined, but Parsons said Oceanside Fire investigators will be brought in to identify its origin. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is assisting in the investigation.

So far, fire officials “have not ruled out anything in terms of a cause,” Parsons said, updating the fire investigation as “12 to 24 hours” to a “multi-day, potentially multi-week process.”

Dorse squashed the rumor about the standpipe system on the pier that was recently installed not being used, instead saying that it was used.

“The question arose because you saw a lot hose laying out on the pier as well, the reason for that is that we wanted to have as much water on the large fire that you saw as possible, so the way that we do that is to put additional hose in place,” he said.

In the meantime, officials have issued a beach closure for a stretch of the Oceanside coast south of the pier from Surfrider in the north to Tyson Street in the south as a precaution due to falling debris that may have washed on shore. Signage and barricades have been placed in those areas.

The Coast Guard has also enacted a 500-yard safety zone around the pier, and a temporary flight restriction was put in place near the pier to prevent interference with authorities’ drones.

“We do have debris washing up on shore,” Parsons said. “We can’t police every inch of this beach and it’s a public safety issue if people are coming into this water … We don’t want people getting sick and contacting the potentially contaminated water.”

The pier and the Junior Seau Beach Recreation Center will similarly remain closed until further notice, city officials say. The small Harbor Pier that neighbors the structure, however, will remain open for fishing.

It is unclear when the beaches may reopen at this point. According to Parsons, that determination is made based on water quality and the county will need to sample it before giving the all clear. He added that county health officials will be on site at 7 a.m. on Saturday to test the water near the pier for any hazards.

Just hours after the fire began, Mayor Sanchez told FOX 5/KUSI that 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.

Oceanside officials said they are in the process of proclaiming a local emergency to open up funding for the pier’s repair. The coastal city’s legislative delegation is also working on a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden to ask for emergency financial assistance.

“We’re going to get our pier back,” Sanchez said in a phone call with FOX 5 on Thursday, speaking to the residents of Oceanside. “For now, if you could stay away from the area to make sure that our public safety vehicles are able to go through.”

An emergency Oceanside City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday to ratify the proclamation for a local emergency, per fire officials.

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 to the south of the original pier’s location, 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.

Photos: A glimpse into the past as Oceanside reels from pier fire

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.

Sanchez added that there was renovation work being done inside the restaurant prior to the fire Thursday, but details about what was going to replace the Ruby’s once the work neared completion were not disclosed.

“We’ve always rebuilt,” Hawthorne said. “The piers have grown with the city.”

Regardless, Oceanside residents have been left reeling over the pier’s likely closure for repairs.

“Thank God I got to run on it yesterday, because I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to get back on it,” one resident, Amy Papacek, told FOX 5/KUSI. “It is what you think of when you think of Oceanside, it’s iconic.”

“It is going to be a very significant issue, because the pier itself draws over one million people here and as a result, it brings us people into the downtown on a regular basis,” said Kim Heim with Main Street Oceanside.

Above: FOX 5’s Kasia Gregorcyzk on how residents are reacting to the pier fire.

“This is more than just a landmark for the rest of our region. This is a piece of home to generations of Oceansiders,” Oceanside City Councilmember Eric Joyce said on Friday. “When you talk to the people walking around, they’re still in shock. We’re going to be going through some grieving as a community.”

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