5:21 PM: A four-alarm fire heavily damaged a vacant building at San Francisco’s Pier 29 this afternoon.
The blaze was reported at about 1:50 p.m. at the two-story waterfront bulkhead building located at the intersection of The Embarcadero, Sansome and Chestnut streets.
Firefighters responded to find “pretty spectacular flames” coming out of the roof in the front of the building, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said.
About 110 firefighters, including some on a fireboat in the Bay behind the building, battled the blaze, which was declared contained at 3:40 p.m. and under control as of 3:59 p.m., fire officials said.
Firefighters were expected to remain at the building into the night to ensure that flames don’t spark back up, Talmadge said.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire has not been determined, although a preliminary investigation indicates that some construction workers may have been in the building at the time it started, Hayes-White said.
The building was initially built in 1915, and was expected to house the staging area of operations for the America’s Cup sailing race in 2013, said Monique Moyer, executive director of the Port of San Francisco.
The building was mostly vacant except for five cars that were safely moved out of the building, Moyer said.
She said it is too early to tell if plans for the America’s Cup might have to be altered, but said “the Cup will go on just fine.”
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, whose district includes Pier 29, came to the scene after receiving word of the fire.
“While this is a tragedy, fortunately no one was hurt,” Chiu said.
“It could’ve been a lot worse.”
The American Red Cross also responded to the scene to provide Gatorade, water and other supplies to the firefighters.
The fire prompted the closure of The Embarcadero for several blocks in each direction, as well as several nearby streets.
Northbound lanes of The Embarcadero had flooded in front of the building due to the amount of water necessary to fight the blaze, some of which was taken from the Bay.
Dozens of onlookers watched firefighters battle the blaze from across the street.
Jonas Kellner, who works nearby at the nearby architecture firm MKThink, said he saw “flames dancing on the roof” as well as thick smoke when the blaze first broke out.
Kellner said his car was on one of the streets that had been blocked off.
“I’m hoping by the time I leave here it reopens,” he said.
3:46 PM: Firefighters have gained the upper hand on a four-alarm fire that is burning at San Francisco’s Pier 29 this afternoon, a fire captain said.
The fire was reported at about 1:50 p.m. at the two-story building along the Embarcadero, which is under construction, fire Capt. Jeanne Seyler said.
Part of the facade in the front of the building near the roof has collapsed, Seyler said.
No injuries have been reported, and firefighters are battling the blaze from the outside, she said.
Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said at the scene around 3:20 p.m. that the blaze had been contained but not yet fully extinguished.
She said firefighters had arrived to find “pretty spectacular flames coming through the roof.”
They fought the blaze from several angles, including from a fireboat in the Bay.
Hayes-White said a preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was likely accidental.
She said there might have been workers inside the building when it started, but that “it’s too early to determine if that was the cause.”
Pier 29 is expected to be part of the central hub of activity for the America’s Cup sailing race in 2013. A sign on a fence adjacent to the building reads, “The future home of the 34th America’s Cup.”
The fire has shut down parts of the Embarcadero and Chestnut Street.
Traffic had slowed to a crawl, and northbound traffic was backed up as far as the Ferry Building as of 3 p.m.
2:50 PM: A fire that is burning at San Francisco’s Pier 29 this afternoon has gone to four alarms, a fire captain said.
The fire was reported at about 1:50 p.m. at a two-story building along the Embarcadero where construction is under way, fire Capt. Jeanne Seyler said.
Part of the facade in the front of the building near the roof has collapsed, Seyler said.
No injuries have been reported, and firefighters are battling the blaze from the outside, she said.
Pier 29 is expected to be part of the central hub of activity for the America’s Cup sailing race in 2013.
UPDATE-CORRECTION: Due to increased SFFD activity @ Pier 29, bus shuttles will NOT be running from the Ferry to Wharf.
— SFMTA (@sfmta_muni) June 20, 2012
2:39 PM: A three-alarm fire is burning at a building under construction along San Francisco’s Embarcadero this afternoon, a fire captain said.
The fire was reported at about 1:50 p.m. at Pier 29, at a two-story building where construction is under way, fire Capt. Jeanne Seyler said.
No injuries have been reported in connection with the blaze, she said.
Pier 29 is expected to be part of the central hub of activity for the America’s Cup sailing race in 2013.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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