The blaze that destroyed two buildings at the end of the Oceanside Municipal Pier was completely out Monday, after smoldering for days, and while the cause remained under investigation, it appears to be accidental, city officials said.
Investigators found “no evidence of an accelerant or incendiary device,” said Fire Chief David Parsons. A trained dog used in the examination showed “zero interest” in the possibility that any flammable liquid had been present.
The fire appears to have started below the pier deck outside the northwest corner of the vacant restaurant building, a former Ruby’s Diner, on the hammerhead at the end of the pier.
“We can’t rule out an electrical heat source,” Parsons said. “It leaves us with accidental causes as the most likely explanation.”
A formal report with additional details will be prepared, but that is likely to take weeks, he said.
The Ruby’s building had been vacant for years. Its kitchen was being used to cook take-out food sold at the adjacent Brine Box, a 10-by-10-foot kiosk that only had a small cooktop. Plans to remodel the Ruby’s had stalled, and there was no construction underway.
Shortly before the alarm was called in about 3 p.m. Thursday, people on the pier smelled smoke, Parsons said. Someone went into the Ruby’s and saw no sign of fire.
The smoke triggered alarms and sprinklers in both buildings, Parsons said. “Everything operated as designed.”
The pier remained closed Monday. City officials said they expect to reopen about 75 percent of the pier “as soon as possible” but declined to say when.
Last year, the city wrapped up a $5.6 million project to install new lines on the pier for potable water, wastewater, electrical and communications lines to the buildings.
Parsons credited the fire suppression system in the buildings with preventing the blaze from spreading eastward and damaging the rest of the pier. More than 90 percent of the nearly 2,000-foot-long wooden pier was saved.
In the early hours of the blaze, as a strong onshore breeze swept flames beneath the pier, firefighters working in dense smoke cut a 5-foot-wide space in the deck to separate the burning hammerhead from rest of the pier. Cutting through the 4-inch-thick, preserved hardwood required five chainsaws and dulled a dozen chains, Parsons said.
City officials declared a local emergency, which the Oceanside City Council is expected to ratify at a special meeting Wednesday. The declaration could help cover the costs of the emergency response and future repairs.
Oceanside firefighters had their first engine at the pier five minutes after the call, began spraying water within nine minutes, and a short time later firefighters from neighboring cities, San Diego County and Camp Pendleton arrived. The Coast Guard sent a cutter from San Diego, and San Diego Gas & Electric provided a firefighting helicopter that could drop more than 2,500 gallons of seawater at once.
“Words cannot express the deep gratitude I have for all the folks who worked for us,” Mayor Esther Sanchez said Monday, adding that the city hopes to rebuild the end of the pier as soon as possible.
