A vacant restaurant went up in flames Thursday and continued Friday on Oceanside Pier in California. Firefighters isolated the fire to the end of the pier and tried to contain it.
The fire broke out at 3 p.m., Oceanside officials said. The fire damaged the end of the pier and nearby restaurants, and employees of two businesses close by were evacuated. No one was injured.
“Chef Rachel saw smoke coming up from underneath the pier, behind the old Ruby’s building. Thankfully, everyone was evacuated safely. We are so sad to see this happening,” Jessica Waite, co-owner of the Brine Box kiosk, one of the evacuated businesses, told San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD.
The Oceanside Fire Department isolated the flames but couldn’t enter the abandoned building because it was unstable. As of 6:16 a.m. Friday, firefighters were still trying to put out the fire, per a post from the department on X.
Investigators are also at the scene to help determine what sparked the blaze, city officials said. The vacant building that went up in smoke used to be Ruby’s Diner before it closed three years ago, according to KNSD.
“We do not know where the fire started. What I hear is it was underneath the pier,” Ms. Waite told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The fire damaged the concrete-supported section at the end of the pier, including the vacant restaurant and Brine Box, Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons said, according to Fox station KSWB-TV. The fire was stopped 15 feet past that section.
The first iteration of the Oceanside Pier was built in 1888, and the current structure dates to 1987, according to the Visit Oceanside website.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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