SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Crews battled a massive warehouse fire that broke out Saturday morning at San Francisco’s Pier 45.
The San Francisco Fire Department says the fire started around 4:15 a.m. At that time, no one was inside the warehouse.
Crews responded to the area of Taylor and Jones Street where the fire was first reported as a 1-alarm but quickly grew to a 4-alarm.
More than a hundred fire units and 45 fire engines responded to the scene. Of those, one fire truck was damaged.
Officials reported that part of the building has collapsed and that flames reached over 100 feet high.
One firefighter, who suffered an injury to the arm and hand, was taken to a local hospital to be treated. No other injuries have been reported at this time.
Lieutenant Jonathan Baxter reported that the historic SS Jeremiah O’Brien was saved, along with the museum on the pier.
“The fireboat St. Francis, San Francisco Fireboat 3, was put in position to protect the historic Jeremiah O’Brien vessel. The St. Francis, per my operations chief, saved the Jeremiah O’Brien vessel,” Lt. Jonathan Baxter said.
The SS Jeremiah O’Brien is a liberty ship that stormed Normandy on D-Day 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.
Crews were able to stop the spread of the fire to neighboring buildings.
The fire was confined to the end of the pier, well away from the Musée Mécanique and its historic arcade games and the popular restaurant Alioto’s.
Witnesses tell KRON4 that the facility burning was where fishermen kept their equipment.
The fire department continues to investigate the cause of the fire and asks the public to avoid the area.
The Port of SF said it is committed to helping any tenants displaced from the Pier relocate.
Check back for more details as this is developing.
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