Firefighters responded to a massive blaze Thursday afternoon at San Diego’s iconic Oceanside Pier.

Video footage showed an enormous plume of smoke coming from the pier.

“Currently, multiple firefighting units have been dispatched to respond to a second-alarm fire raging at Oceanside Harbor Beach Pier as towering flames and billowing black smoke are visible from miles away. Evacuation efforts are in progress as the situation escalates, with authorities urging people to leave the area,” Rawsalerts wrote.

“Meanwhile, the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and emergency responders are working to contain the blaze as the situation unfolds,” the post added.

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Daily Mail reports:

The fire was reported around 3 p.m. PT inside the vacant building that previously housed Ruby’s Diner on the pier.

Local fire crews were joined by Cal Fire and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department to make a water drop on the structure fire, reported NBC San Diego.

Two fire-fighting vessels are working to battle the blaze that has charred the building and caused the roof to collapse.

‘What we know is that the fire teams decided to do a defense tactic and not try to save the restaurant but save the rest of the pier.’ Oceanside mayor Esther Sanchez told the local news station.

‘The Oceanside Fire Department is currently engaged in fighting a fire on the Oceanside Pier. We are asking all citizens to please stay away from the immediate area,’ the fire department said.

Photos and video show plume of smokes rising from the wooden structure as crews work to put on the flames.

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Per NBC San Diego:

At 4 o’clock, a third vessel had joined the fight as well as a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, but smoke continued to pour out all sides of the two-story building as well as beneath the pier, with only a few flames actually visible. Over at the coast, people had started to congregate to watch the conflagration, with some posing for selfies with the historic structure aflame behind them.

Luckily for the crews working on the boats, the surf was only 2-3 feet, easing their efforts. High surf would have vastly increased the challenges fighting the fire.

Fifteen minutes later, Oceanside mayor Esther Sanchez told NBC 7 in a phone interview that “what we know is that the fire teams decided to do a defense tactic and not try to save the restaurant but save the rest of the pier.”

At 4:21, a helicopter jointly operated by Cal Fire and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department arrived to make a water drop on the structure fire, a very rare sight. By that time, the roof had collapsed on a small structure next to the old Ruby’s building, which had been the location of a grab-and-go business called the Brine Box, and flames were starting to escape the confines of the much larger structure, with its roof beginning to visibly char.

The firefighting chopper stayed on scene making multiple drops on the inferno, but the fire has resisted all attempts at extinguishing it. Around 4:35, San Diego Fire Rescue’s new Triton firefighting vessel arrived to aid in the efforts. Carlsbad, Vista, North County Fire and Camp Pendleton have all sent ground crews to help out as well, officials told NBC 7.

 

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