Pier 45

WATCH LIVE: Crews battle 4-alarm fire at San Francisco's iconic ...

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Updated 1820 GMT (0220 HKT) May 23, 2020

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(CNN)More than 150 firefighters are battling a four-alarm warehouse fire Saturday on Pier 45, the city's fire department says.

A quarter of the pier at Fisherman's Wharf "has been lost to the flames," according to Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a public information officer with the San Francisco Fire Department. The warehouse was destroyed.One firefighter had a severe cut to his hand and was being treated at a local hospital, Baxter says. He is expected to recover. No other injuries were reported. The pier was fully evacuated, as were some nearby businesses, the fire department says.Flames could be seen in the early morning darkness in photos tweeted by Dan Whaley.Read MoreThe blaze was first reported at 4:17 a.m. local time (7:17 a.m. ET) and was contained to a section of the pier.The Fire Department tweeted a link to live updates.The fire caused a partial building collapse on the southern part of the pier, spread to two buildings on the pier and is in danger of spreading to a third, fire officials say. Pier 45 burns in San Francisco, with the Transamerica Pyramid in the foreground. [//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200523083745-01-san-francisco-fire-0523-large-169.jpg] Pier 45 burns in San Francisco, with the Transamerica Pyramid in the foreground.Fireboat St. Francis was put in position to protect the built during World War II, and it successfully saved the ship from damage, according to Baxter. "When firefighters arrived, the flames were literally lapping over the Jeremiah O'Brien," he said, CNN affiliate . "They literally saved the O'Brien."Reporter Reyna Harvey of affiliate tweeted video from the scene.Several fireboats are positioned around the wharf and helping fight the fire. The warehouse contained a large fish processing operation for the northern California crab fleet, KPIX reports.The fire department is working with the city's Department of Building Inspection and the San Francisco Port Authority to determine the structural integrity of the pier.It remains unclear whether anyone was in the building, which is sometimes used by homeless people, officials said.Investigators are scrubbing through surveillance footage to determine the cause of the fire.

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Four-alarm fire consumes warehouse at Pier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf ...

Breaking News: Back to GalleryFour-alarm fire consumes warehouse at Pier 45 at... 131of13A warehouse fire burns at Pier 45 in San Francisco on Saturday.Photo: Dan Whaley (@dwhly) / Courtesy Dan Whaley A four-alarm fire early Saturday morning destroyed a fish processing and storage warehouse at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and for a time threatened part of the popular tourist area

But firefighters saved the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II liberty ship.

Flames from the blaze shot more than 100 feet in air and billows of black smoke shrouded the waterfront as 150 firefighters with 50 trucks and other pieces of equipment, including fireboats, fought the fire on Pier 45, where a large warehouse known as Shed C is home to fishing and maritime businesses.

The USS Jeremiah O’Brien is also moored at the pier. Flames licked at the historic vessel but it escaped with only cosmetic damage, thanks to efforts by firefighters.

Philip O’Hara, senior shipkeeper for the O’Brien, said the ship was in great shape and “just got singed a bit.” O’Hara credited the city’s fire boat, the St. Francis, for saving the day.

“I am very grateful,” said O’Hara, who has worked on the ship for 20 years. “This ship, she’s something else. She’s been through a lot. She’s not going to be taken down by a shed fire.”

Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter credited “our aggressive and quick, swift actions” with saving the O’Brien.

“If you’re looking for one positive,” he said, “saving a historic World War II vessel at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend is something we should be proud of as a community.”

At 10 a.m., the fire was still active but was no longer in danger of spreading. The walls of the warehouse collapsed, Baxter added, and firefighters were pouring water on the remaining hot spots. Many of the fire trucks were leaving the scene, hours after they arrived.

The fire broke out around 4 a.m. and firefighters rushed to the scene. Although a cause for the blaze has yet to be determined, Baxter said that fire investigators are “looking at the possibility that homeless people were inside.”

A fisherman whose boat is docked at Pier 45 said that homeless people hang out in the warehouse and sometimes build fires for cooking

A number of workers were in the warehouse when the blaze broke out.

Lloyd Dizon, a sales person for Aloha Seafood, was taking orders when the fire began.

“It started like a little thing, then the whole structure started,” he said. “A few seconds later, the building started caving in.”

Other workers reported an explosion before the fire erupted.

Alejandro Arellano, who works for La Rocca Seafood, was cleaning out a fish storage locker.

“I saw a lot of smoke. A few minutes later, fire everywhere,” he said. “It was very, very scary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Hours after the fire broke out, about two dozen workers from the warehouse, many still wearing their yellow fish-processing aprons, gathered behind Alioto’s restaurant to watch firefighters pour water on the collapsed shed. They showed each other cell phone pictures they had taken of the fire and wondered when and how they will be going back to work.

The streets around the pier were almost paved with yellow hoses, some stretching for as many as four blocks to a hydrant at Beach and Taylor streets. Firefighters from at least a dozen trucks were spraying water on the blaze, with three ladder trucks drenching the warehouse from 50 feet above.

The first call came at 4:15 a.m. Truck 13 from the Sansome Street station in the Financial District was the first on the scene, and fast action by its crew prevented the fire from spreading, Baxter said.

The truck company nearly paid a heavy price. Flames from the blaze rolled out and singed the truck, forcing firefighters to turn their hoses on the vehicle to save it, Baxter said. The truck was slightly damaged, but no people were hurt.

The blaze was confined to the north end of the pier, well away from the Musée Mécanique and its historic arcade games and the restaurants and other businesses in the popular tourist area.

Kenny Belov, owner of TwoXSea, a sustainable seafood wholesaler in a building only about 50 feet from the warehouse, learned of the fire in a phone call from one of his employees about 4:45 a.m. Then his plant manager sent a video taken on the loading dock facing the fire.

“Just breathtaking,” Belov said. “It was this massive blaze.”

Five of Belov’s employees were in the building at the time, he said, and they all evacuated safely. There was no damage to TwoXSea “as far as I know,” he added.

Belov estimated that hundreds of vehicles typically are parked in the warehouse, mostly a mix of employees’ cars and delivery trucks.

He acknowledged the crazy timing of the fire, atop the closure of restaurants caused by the coronavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place orders. Belov abruptly pivoted his business to home delivery, and he had several deliveries scheduled Saturday that wouldn’t be going out.

He also was worried a prolonged power outage could ruin the fish in his deep freezer.

“Not that it would ever need this, but the seafood industry didn’t need this now,” Belov said. “It’s surreal. We’ve obviously had a tough go the last couple months, with restaurants (closed). … Of all the problems in the world, this is not a big one. But it’s frustrating.”

A longtime crab and salmon commercial fisherman said he lost Dungeness crab, rock crab and shrimp pots to the blaze.

“I’m basically out of business,” since it’s unlikely he can get his gear replaced before the November crab season, said the fisherman, who only wanted to use his first name, Mike.

He estimated there are 19 fishermen with gear stored in the warehouse that was destroyed. The fishing fleet lost over 7,000 crab pots, worth about $265 each.

The offices of the Red and White Fleet, a bay tour company, also were destroyed, fire officials said.

Thick black smoke rolled over the bay from the blaze, which at its height sent flames climbing into the sky in the pre-dawn darkness. Even as firefighters brought the blaze under control, a thick pall of choking smoke hung over the waterfront.

> UPDATE: WORKING FIRE, 4TH ALARM, PIER 45, SF, btwn TAYLOR ST and JONES ST,

— San Francisco Firefighters 798 (@SFFFLocal798) Department fireboats were used to fight the blaze. Coast Guard and police marine units also were assisting, keeping other vessels from the area.

Fire officials urged tourists, swimmer and boaters to stay away from the fire scene, where efforts we continuing at 10 a.m. An investigation into the fire is expected to continue throughout the day along with efforts to secure the area.

The warehouse, which is near the end of the concrete pier, holds fish processing equipment as well as hundreds of crab pots.

> omg. pier 45

— Devon Turner (@devongt) Traffic has been blocked at Taylor Street and Jefferson Street. Heavy smoke, visible across the city, hung over the area.

Chronicle staff writers John Wildermuth and Tara Duggan contributed to this report.

Steve Rubenstein and Ron Kroichick are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: and

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San Francisco Pier 45 fire burning - CNN

One firefighter suffered a severe injury to the hand and was taken to the hospital. By , and John Zuchelli•Published May 23, 2020•Updated 48 mins ago 3:39 Raging Fire Rips Through Warehouse at SF’s Pier 45 Replay Up Next Ad: --:--/ --:-- Close NBCUniversal, Inc.San Francisco firefighters are battling a 4-alarm blaze on Pier 45 Saturday morning.A raging four-alarm fire ripped through a warehouse at San Francisco's Pier 45 early Saturday, sending thick, black smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles.

Firefighters responded to the massive blaze at 4:20 a.m. and quickly went into an offensive fight by going inside the warehouse. Officials said the intensity of the fire was so hot, they quickly raised the response to four alarms and evacuated the warehouse. A fireboat was also called to respond to the blaze.

One firefighter suffered a severe laceration to the hand as was taken to the hospital. There have been no updates on the firefighter's condition.

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13 hours ago 17 hours ago Ad: 1:25 1:25Firefighters Battle 4-Alarm Blaze at SF’s Pier 45Raw video of a 4-alarm warehouse fire at San Francisco's Pier 45. Crews then started to fight the fire with a defensive strategy to protect other structures. Video showing the peak of the blaze shows a raging inferno, ripping through the warehouse. Portions of the warehouse roof also collapsed.

San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter said in a press conference that the fire was confined to Pier 45 Building C. The building is a complete loss, SFFD confirmed.

The warehouse destroyed by the blaze is next to the dock for the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, a historic ship used during World War II. Officials said the ship was saved.

Ad: 1:28 1:27SS Jeremiah O’Brien Saved From Powerful FireSan Francisco Fire Department Chief Janine Nicholson explains what firefighters had to do to salvage the SS Jeremiah...Read moreSan Francisco's popular interactive museum, Musée Mécanique, is located on Pier 45 but did not sustain any damage, according to a tweet.

The Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District said in a statement they are "very thankful" no injuries were reported and no lives were lost.

"The response from SFFD and SFPD was extremely quick and we are thankful that due to the rapid emergency response, the surrounding structures including the Jeremiah O'Brien, were all saved."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and authorities are asking people to avoid the area as the fire is still actibe.

Officials are working alongside local port authorities to see if there was any structural damage to the pier.

The businesses inside Building C were offices for Blue & Gold Fleet, Red &White Fleet and Jeremiah O'Brien offices and storage. There was also storage for commercial fishing boats.

This is a developing story.

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