OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Two weeks after a devastating fire destroyed the far west end of the Oceanside Pier, the city is getting ready to reopen 80% of the structure to the public.
The pier will reopen Friday at 7:00 a.m. Regular hours of 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. will begin Saturday.
"We are so excited, so very very excited," said Mayor Esther Sanchez. "We didn't know how long it was going to take, we were hoping before the end of May, and it's actually a lot sooner than that."
The structure is a big draw for tourists as well as locals. People run on the pier, they fish, and they take in the view.
The fire damaged a portion of the pier, known as the 'hammerhead,' which is where the old Ruby's Diner was located and fire crews expect the clean-up and rebuilding process will take quite a while.
"The visual I saw [the day of the fire] I was fearful we were going to lose 25-30% of the pier," said Deputy Fire Chief Jessamyn Specht. "So to come out here less than three weeks later and see that we saved 93% of the pier and we're ready to reopen tomorrow morning, it gives me a pretty good sense of accomplishment and a lot of pride in my fire department for the work that we did."
According to fire investigators, the cause is believed to be accidental. They suspect the fire may have started underneath the pier. City officials have been talking with officials in Seal Beach, where a similar fire happened at the end of that pier back in 2016, also in a vacant Ruby's Diner. The cause of that fire was electrical. Rebuilding the structure took three years.
Thursday several people stopped to take pictures of the Oceanside Pier. Dennis and Susan Smith, visiting from Vista, said they were surprised to find out the pier is reopening as quickly as it is.
"I come down and fish a lot, it'll be nice to bring my granddaughter down and fish," said Dennis Smith.
"It'll be good just to see people back on the pier again. It's funny walking down here and not seeing anybody on the pier," said Susan Smith.
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