San Francisco warehouse destroyed by fire
SAN FRANCISCO — A fire engulfed a warehouse on Fisherman’s Wharf early Saturday, sending a thick plume of smoke over the waterfront and threatening to spread to a historic World War II-era ship before firefighters brought the flames under control.
No injuries were reported and firefighters were making multiple searches to ensure no one was inside the building on Pier 45, San Francisco Fire Lt. Jonathan
Baxter told reporters from the scene. Baxter said fire investigators were trying to determine whether homeless people were inside.
Alejandro Arellano, who works for La Rocca Seafood, was cleaning out a fish storage locker when the fire began, shortly after 4 a.m..
“I saw a lot of smoke,” he said. “A few minutes later, fire everywhere. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
More than 130 firefighters fought the flames, with some using ladder trucks to drench the warehouse from above. A fire boat was used to protect the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a liberty ship that stormed Normandy on DDay in 1944.
The ship docks by Pier 45 and is among numerous tourist attractions on the wharf, a maritime hub for cruises around San Francisco Bay as well as fishing boats hauling in the catch of the day. Visitors come for the Dungeness crabs, clam chowders served in sourdough bread bowls, the sea lions that hang out on the floating docks and shops and curiosities on Pier 39.
Shops and restaurants on the wharf have been shut by the city’s stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus and were expected to reopen May 31. Fishing companies that have been operating out of Pier 45 said the fire exacerbated an already tough business climate caused by the pandemic.
Fire investigators were assessing any damage to the pier and were looking into the cause of the blaze, Baxter said.