OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Construction workers continued making preparations on the end of the Oceanside Pier Wednesday before they begin tearing down the burned-out buildings next week.
“It would’ve been sad if they didn’t rebuild, so I think everybody that lives here is happy about that,” said Ellen Ramsey.
The crew has been busy adding scaffolding and plywood subflooring beneath the pier to prevent any burned wood or toxic debris from falling into the ocean during the process.
“It’s a mess. It’s an absolute mess," said Kirk Bryant. "And I hope they do something very good with it.”
At the pier, CBS 8 ran into Debra Sapp, who was born in San Diego but now lives in Oklahoma. While visiting Wednesday, she saw the burned ruins for the first time since the fire six months ago.
“It’s an eyesore that’s way out there, so it’s not something that’s just in the middle of the city that you have to look at," said Sapp. "But safety’s the first thing and you don’t want to pollute the water for the animals.”
On April 25, 2024, a blaze erupted on the far west end of the pier, burning down the old Ruby’s Diner and the Brine Box next to it.
“When I heard about it, I just said, ‘Oh, I can’t believe it,’” recalled Bryant.
Now the burned-out structural remains have become somewhat of a tourist attraction of their own.
“Our friend is in from Florida, and we’re trying to show him unfortunately the ruins.” said San Marcos resident, Shelly Fuchs.
“We’re back visiting today, and he said, ‘We need to go on the pier and see the ruins,’” said Sapp.
The Oceanside City Council hired Jilk Heavy Construction for the demolition, giving them up to $1.3 million dollars to do the job. Along with what is left of the buildings, damaged portions of the railing and deck will also be removed.
The demo work will continue for several weeks. Beyond that, city officials have said the burned sections will eventually be repaired, but they have not given a timeline yet.