A historic southern California pier caught fire on Thursday, burning for several hours until firefighters battling the blaze from boats were able to extinguish the flames.
Flames tore through a restaurant at the end of the Oceanside Pier, the longest wooden pier on the US west coast, and heavily damaged the closed diner and a neighboring business.
Crews worked through the night to extinguish the blaze and limit its spread to the far west end of the pier, the city said in a statement. They removed some planks across the structure to protect the rest of the pier.
Pier fire update: Crews worked through the night and will continue to work today. The unstable restaurant structure means crews can’t attack the fire from inside, so the fight will continue from the exterior. pic.twitter.com/ty2IJEu6fQ
— Oceanside Fire Department (@Oceanside_Fire) April 26, 2024
The pier in Oceanside, about 40 miles (64km) north of San Diego, stretches more than 1,900ft (579 meters), allowing visitors to walk out over the ocean waves.
The fire started at a vacant restaurant at the rear of the pier on Thursday afternoon, the department said in a statement. Firefighters responded in minutes after lifeguards saw the flames, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.
Authorities, who feared the flames could consume the entire pier, ordered a massive response with 144 firefighters, 30 lifeguards and 32 police officers on scene, the newspaper said.
“We have thrown a lot of resources at this,” said David Parsons, the Oceanside fire chief, to the newspaper. “The pier is a very special place for us.”
No one was injured and officials said the cause was under investigation.
While the empty restaurant and a “small food service structure” were “heavily damaged”, the city said that no further loss of the pier is expected. The city has closed the beach around the pier and urged the public to maintain a “safe distance”.
Historic wooden piers dot California’s coastline. Many have been battered by intense storms in recent years, requiring repairs and raising questions about the structures that have become a quintessential part of the coastal landscape.