SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A fire engulfed a warehouse on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf early Saturday, sending a thick plume of smoke over the waterfront and at one point threatening to spread to a historic World War II-era ship.
No injuries have been reported and firefighters were making multiple searches to ensure no one was inside the building on Pier 45, San Francisco Fire Lt. Jonathan Baxter told reporters from the scene.
The warehouse, which holds fish processing equipment, is typically unoccupied at night, he said.
The fire broke out before dawn and tore through the warehouse near the end of the concrete pier, causing its walls to collapse, Baxter said.
More than 130 firefighters fought the flames, with some using ladder trucks to drench the warehouse from above. A fireboat was used to protect the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a liberty ship that stormed Normandy on D-Day in 1944. The ship docks by Pier 45 and is a popular tourist attraction.
Coast Guard crew members assisted by keeping other vessels away from the pier.
