A strong fire broke out Thursday afternoon at the Oceanside pier in San Diego. The fire started around 3 p.m. with flames engulfing the old Ruby's Diner, which has been vacant since February 2021.

The incident continued until Friday morning, mostly under control by firefighters.

Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons stated, "At this point, we don’t know — it’s called the ‘hammerhead’ — we don’t know the structural stability of that part of the pier." He went on to explain that he spoke with a city engineer about the pier structure. "If a part of the pier does potentially collapse, the understanding is that likely the rest of the pier will pretty much be untouched by that," Parsons explained. "The pilings are fairly self-supportive, so we feel good about that. We feel good about the safety of our personal."

Parsons confirmed that the roof of the old Ruby's Diner collapsed early Friday morning. The fire chief said a structural engineer will need to assess the end of the pier once the flames and smoke fully subside. Parsons expects those in Oceanside and the surrounding communities to continue seeing smoke for the next 24 hours. "We are making progress," Parsons assured the public.

Meanwhile, firefighters are advising everyone to stay out of the water in the area as debris has fallen from the structure. Additionally, there is a beach closure from the pier south to Tyson Street due to water quality issues.