The Oceanside Pier fire took place on Thursday, April 21, 2024. Although there were no injuries, there was a lot of structural damage. Luckily, about 93 percent of the pier was saved.
Many of the nearby businesses were appalled by the scene since it was different from a usual fire as no flames appeared from afar, only smoke. Sabrina Rawlings works at Sancho’s Tacos in Oceanside near the pier.
“We could see the smoke from the restaurant but no flames,” Rawlings said. “Every ten minutes there would be more fire trucks, paramedics, and newscasting vans.”
The first responders got there quickly, but the fire had already developed, lengthening the process of putting it out. Makayla Hilway is a freshman at Carlsbad High and lives near the Oceanside Pier.
“I could not see the smoke from my house, but I saw all of the firefighters and lifeguards rushing towards the pier,” Hilway said.
With all of the first responders rushing towards the beach, more people were drawn to the flaming site.
“There were the same amount of people on the streets, if anything more because people wanted to see the damage and take photos,” Rawlings said.
The Oceanside Pier fire was said to be accidental. Even though it was, the repair costs are off the charts at over 17 million dollars.
“No, this does not affect my going [to the beach] at all,” Hilway said. “Fires happen all the time, and it’s a shame that Ruby’s was burnt down, but life goes on and one fire won’t stop me from [going to the beach].”
The Pier was closed from April 21st to May 10th. Most of the pier was saved and is now reopened.
“I go to the beach fairly often, probably about three to five times a week, but I don’t always go on the same day or by the water, I’ll just sit on a rock or something,” Hilway said.
Not only was the restaurant burnt down during the fire, but one of the small shops called The Brine Box was too.
“The fire was on a Thursday, so due to the sunset market, it was still pretty busy and the fire didn’t affect the amount of people at the street fair either, so it was a normal busy night,” Rawlings said.
