More than a year after a massive fire destroyed part of the Oceanside Pier, the federal report on its cause is now available to the public.
The fire started on April 25, 2024, at the "hammer head" end of the pier. Fire crews were able to save 90% of the pier.
After the fire was extinguished, the city brought in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to lead the investigation. Oceanside Fire Department Division Chief Blake Dorse said the city needed the federal help.
“They assist in large fire investigations, as the one we had here, in particular, we brought in their expertise because they have expanded capabilities beyond of what we have as a small local agency,” he said.
The ATF reviewed video footage, witness statements and brought in arson dogs to narrow down the causes of the fire.
“They were able to rule out any intentional causes,” Dorse said. “This was an accidental fire.”
He said investigators were able to rule out every man-made or natural cause except for one.
“The only thing that they couldn't eliminate that was a heat producing source underneath the pier at the time of the fire were electrical components,” he said.
Investigators said the fire was caused by faulty wiring, but they don’t know which piece of equipment was responsible due to the extensive damage because many of the components fell into the ocean.
“So we'll never know exactly which component," he said. "We'll never know exactly what caused it. All we can do is narrow it down to the best of our ability.”
All investigators could say with certainty is that it was an electrical fire that started at the northwest corner of the pier, by Ruby's Diner and Brine Box.
The ATF report noted that, before the fire, there were reports of people being shocked when they came into contact with the metal lampposts on the pier.
"Based on that, it would lead someone to think that there could be some kind of an electrical failure occurring," Dorse said. "Prior to this, other than those witness statements, there was no indication that those types of electrical failures were occurring and being reported to the city."
The AFT shared the results of the findings with the city in December, but the redacted report is only now available to the public.
The city is currently going through the design and permitting process to rebuild the pier. The earliest construction could begin would be late 2026.
