Oceanside Pier fire rips through vacant restaurant

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. 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.

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

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 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.

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.

Everything around the hammerhead area appeared to have sustained “significant damage” from the fire, Parsons added. This includes the pier’s decking and substructure, the restaurant and a small kiosk that housed another eatery, called the Brine Box.

“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.

A cause has not been determined, but Parsons said investigators will be brought in to identify its origin. The investigators “have not ruled out anything in terms of a cause,” Parsons continued.

Just hours after the fire began, the mayor told FOX 5 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.

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

Parsons said lights will be put out for boats in the area throughout the night and a beach closure will be in place from the pier to Tyson Street in order to make sure residents do not react with any debris that may have washed on shore.

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 version 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.

According to Sanchez, 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.