WHARF FIRE CONTROLLED WITH LARGE-DIAMETER HOSE
FIRE REPORTS
Skillful strategy and a large-diameter supply line prevented a rapidly spreading fire from becoming a major life-threatening catastrophe.
MIKE VENTIMIGLIA
Battalion Chief
Fisherman’s Wharf, a mixture of restaurants, curio shops and boats, is a 1000foot-long wooden pier in Monterey, Calif. A sprinkler system installed along the main wharf protec ts the commercial businesses and the underside of the wharf. A onehour fire wall is between the main wharf and finger piers which run off from the main wharf.
Fisherman s Wharf is also the site of the annual blessing of the fishing fleet, drawing thousands of spectators.
Due primarily to crowd conditions and the sun preheating the creosote on the wharf pilings, what began as a small fire on one of the finger piers turned into a flaming inferno.
Approximately 2500 civilians were on Fisherman’s Wharf at 6 p.m. when a fire broke out on the finger pier that housed a diving bell ride. One of the ride’s employees attempted to extinguish the flames with a portable fire extinguisher.
The fire burned for approximately 10 minutes before the Monterey Fire Department was notified. During this time, the fire continued to ignite the creosote, which was oozing from the wharf’s decking and pilings.
The initial alarm was received at 6:10 p.m. and a first-alarm assignment dispatched, bringing two 1500-gpm pumpers, one aerial ladder, one rescue squad, 13 fire fighters and a battalion chief.
The first-arriving engine company, under the command of Captain Mike Cooley, saw a small amount of black smoke as they approached the wharf’s entrance. Department procedures allow for committing one engine company out on the wharf due to limited entrance and egress. Fire fighting personnel from both engine companies, the rescue company and the truck company were utilized at the fire scene.
Hooking up to the hydrant located at the entrance to the wharf, fire fighters laid a single 5-inch supply line 800 feet to the fire.
At this point, Cooley made his way on foot through the crowd to size up fire conditions. At the fire scene, he noted a fully involved 3 X 3 X 6-foot maintenance box. The fire was spreading rapidly, sending up large, thick volumes of black smoke.
Spectators flocked to the fire scene, hampering the efforts of fire apparatus and personnel from reaching the incident. Battalion Chief Ray Savage was notified that a working fire was in progress, and a request for crowd control and mutual aid with the United States Coast Guard was given. Savage established a command post at the entrance to the finger piers to coordinate emergency operations among the Coast Guard, engine companies, police department and utilities.
The engine continued to make its way slowly down the wharf. During the two to three minutes it took for the apparatus to reach the fire, the entire pier had become engulfed in flames.
Spectators so crowded the scene that fire personnel were forced to use the buddy system to don SCBA. The police had to arrest several civilians to regain control.
Cooley positioned the pumper to take full advantage of the preconnected turret on the engine.
Using the water in the pumper’s tank, a blitz attack was launched with the turret’s 1000-gpm automatic master stream nozzle. This 60-second attack retarded the progress of the fire, giving personnel the time needed to place hand lines into operation. Fire fighters used one 1¾ and one 2½-inch hand lines, both equipped with automatic nozzles capable of flowing 300 gpm. This strategy enabled fire fighters to hold the fire to the 150-foot finger pier.
At the height of the incident, several sport fishing boats had to be removed from the piers in an effort to reduce the exposure problem they presented.
The fire was completely extinguished at 10 p.m., nearly four hours after it had been reported.
Fire damage to the pier and diving bell was calculated to be in excess of $200,000. Reconstruction of the pier is under way, and the main wharf’s sprinkler system will be extended to the finger piers.
The Monterey Fire Department’s four pumpers’ 2½-inch and 3-inch supply lines have been replaced with 5-inch supply lines to provide maximum flow capabilities, thus reducing the need for additional personnel to move or place hose lines for desired flow. With adequate water systems (adequate hydrants and water mains), flows in excess of 2500 gpm have been generated with the large-diameter supply lines.
