benicia dock fire
BENICIA (CBS SF) — A 4-alarm fire erupted on the Benicia waterfront Saturday afternoon, engulfing a wooden commercial pier in flames, sending dockworkers scrambling for safety and releasing a massive plume of smoke over the region.
The fire was burning either in or near the Amports facility. Bill Goodrich, who lives near the docks, said a fire ignited near a ship docked at the pier. Once firefighters had that under control, a second fire erupted on the nearby pier.
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“I was working outside, saw the smoke, thought ‘What the heck?’ and walked down here,” he said. “It was completely out a half an hour ago. The first fire was up by the ship. Somehow some embers must have jumped over to the pier.”
A crowd of spectators gathered as officials said the smoke was not a threat. Meanwhile, harbor pilot arrived to navigate the docked ships away from the wharf.
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“There is NO shelter in place in Benicia city limits,” Benicia firefighters tweeted. “This may change if there is a change in wind direction.”
Social media posts showed flames burning intensely as firefighters from Benicia and neighboring jurisdictions responded to battle the blaze and keep it from spreading.
Firefighters attacked the flames from both land and from fireboats.
Developing story, will be updated.
Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.