Millions In Fishing Equipment Destroyed By Pier 45 Fire

Roughly 100 firefighters are battling a four-alarm fire at a warehouse building at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.
Photo credit Courtesy Dan Whaley

The four alarm blaze that tore through a warehouse at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf Saturday is costing the local fishing industry in a big way.

Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association says the fire destroyed about $5 million dollars worth of crab, shrimp and black cod traps. 

“These were owned by small independent fishermen with only liability insurance,” says an Instagram post by the seafood distributor. “The kick in the gut for these guys is that most of them brought in their gear early due to COVID-19. If not for the lack of demand from restaurant closures their gear most likely would have still been in the water.”

A post shared by Water2Table Fish Co. (@water2table) on May 24, 2020 at 9:48pm PDT

With crab season coming in the fall and the hit that the industry took due to the coronavirus pandemic, local crab boat owners were already scrambling to to raise $1 million dollars to purchase new gear before the fire happened.

Meanwhile San Francisco Fire Department crews are expected to remain on the scene at Pier 45 Monday. 

"These units are tasked with making sure that flare-ups and hot spots stay out," SFFD Lt. Jonathan Baxter said Sunday on social media.

The fire damaged the underside of the pier, and port officials are investigating whether the fire may have threatened its structural integrity. The pier’s other tenants have been told it is not safe to return at the moment. If the pier is deemed unsafe it could have a devastating impact on other seafood warehouses that were not destroyed by the fire. 

Tenants affected by the fire have been connected with disaster relief resources through the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.