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.
Flames from the blaze shot more than 40 feet in air and billows of black smoke shrouded the waterfront as 150 firefighters with 50 trucks and other pieces of equipment fought the fire on Pier 45, next to the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, the last of the World War II liberty ships.
The pier was evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter said that as of 8:30 a.m. the fire was still active but was no longer in danger of spreading. The walls of the warehouse collapsed, he added, and firefighters were pouring water on the remaining hot spots.
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 hangout in the warehouse and sometimes build fires for cooking.
There were a number of workers in the warehouse when the blaze broke out.
Lloyd Dizon, a sales person for Aloha Seafood, was taking orders when the fire began, shortly after 4 a.m.
“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 began.
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.”
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 100 feet 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.
Department fireboats were used to fight the blaze. Coast Guard and police marine units also were assisting, keeping other vessels from the area.
The fireboat St. Francis was used to protect the liberty ship.
“Aggressive, quick and swift action saved the Jeremiah O’Brien,” Baxter said. Minor paint bubbling from the heat was the only apparent damage to the ship. He added that the fireboat crew “was putting their vessel in jeopardy” to save the O’Brien.
The warehouse, which is near the end of the concrete pier, holds fish processing equipment as well as hundreds of crab pots.
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.
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