On Thursday afternoon, a massive fire engulfed the Oceanside Pier in San Diego, California.
The blaze erupted around 3 pm local time.
The structure at the end of the pier is vacant. Formerly a Ruby’s Diner, it shut down three years ago following rigid Covid pandemic lockdowns.
Reportedly, the city of Oceanside spent $5.5 million last year for enhancements to the pier’s pipes and electrical systems, as per NBC 7 San Diego.
NBC 7 San Diego reported:
A massive plume of smoke quickly filled the sky, and two fire-fighting boats arrived on scene shooting water cannons at the structure at the end of the pier. A lone lifeguard vehicle posted up at the foot of pier, with a long fire hose, possibly two, running the length of the pier.
Although smoke obscured the scene, the building at the end of the pier was burning furiously. The structure was once the site of the Ruby’s Restaurant, which has stood empty since the business closed three years ago. As SkyRanger 7 arrived overhead, smoke was blowing onshore the entire length of the structure.
“The Oceanside Fire Department is currently engaged in fighting a fire on the Oceanside Pier,” OFD tweeted out at 3:14 p.m. “We are asking all citizens to please stay away from the immediate area.”
At 4 o’clock, a third vessel had joined the fight as well as a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, but smoke continued to pour out all sides of the two-story building as well as beneath the pier, with only a few flames actually visible. Over at the coast, people had started to congregate to watch the conflagration, with some posing for selfies with the historic structure aflame behind them.
Watch:
JUST IN: ⚠️ Massive fire DESTROYING historic Oceanside Pier in California..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) April 25, 2024
DEVELOPING..
pic.twitter.com/vhDz5fLA9N
Here’s more footage from a different angle:
🚨#BREAKING: Firefighters are battling a massive fire at the Oceanside Pier with evacuations currently underway⁰⁰📌#Oceanside | #California
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 25, 2024
Currently, multiple firefighting units have been dispatched to respond to a second-alarm fire raging at Oceanside Harbor Beach Pier as… pic.twitter.com/EtEuBEF29y
