Seal Beach leaders tonight will discuss pier fire that destroyed Ruby's diner

SEAL BEACH – Whatever its origin, the fire that destroyed the vacant Ruby’s Diner at the tip of the Seal Beach Pier on Friday moing is yet another setback for the beloved landmark.

“We were all just heartbroken to see flames bursting out of our beautiful pier,” Seal Beach Mayor Sandra Massa-Lavitt said. “But we are also grateful that so many agencies came together to help us.”

Ironically, the City Council intended to discuss a possible timetable for the already necessary fixes to the pier – weathered both by age and 2014’s Hurricane Marie – at Monday’s meeting. Now members will grapple with additional costly repairs.

Damage from the fire was contained to the last 100 feet of the pier where Ruby’s Diner once sat, Massa-Lavitt said.

Except for that area, the pier is structurally sound, she added.

“The planks are in good shape,” Massa-Lavitt said. “It’s the infrastructure that you don’t see and don’t think about that needs rehabilitation – gas lines, pipes, water lines, sewer lines.”

After Ruby’s Diner closed in 2013, the end of the pier was blocked to visitors. The boarded-up building and locked gate created an eyesore on the city’s scenic emblem rising above a surfers’ haven.

Officials hoped to lure another eatery to the location, and talks with owners of The Original Fish Company in Los Alamitos looked promising.

However, the city discovered that it would first need to put $4 million into repairing the pier before a new business could break ground.

“When we found out about the extent of the repairs needed, negotiations with the restaurant fell apart,” Massa-Lavitt said. “We are not at this time in negotiations with any business.”

The city is still awaiting approval by the State Lands Commission for a coastal permit to rebuild at the location.

One of the longest of its kind in Califoia, the wooden pier is owned by the state and maintained by Seal Beach. The city insures it with the Joint Powers Insurance Authority.

Massa-Lavitt said the city does not yet have a ballpark figure for the cost of the fire damage. She said she plans to hold a public meeting soon to share information about the disaster.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said officials have not yet determined if the fire was electrical or if the vacant building still had active electrical lines.

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The fire marks another chapter in the iconic pier’s recent troubles.

“It’s a historic event,” Massa-Lavitt said, “and, it’s a very expensive event.”