SEAL BEACH : Pier Fire Inquiry Focuses on 2 Anglers

The investigation into the May 21 fire at the Seal Beach Pier is centering on two fishermen who witnesses said were operating a makeshift barbecue in the middle of the boardwalk just before the blaze began.

Fire investigators suspect that hot charcoals from the grill somehow fell through cracks in the wood boardwalk and landed on a plastic gas line that runs under the length of the pier. The gas line then ignited, they suspect. Fire officials do not know the identity of the fishermen, but witnesses told investigators that the pair have several prominent tattoos, said Fire Capt. Dan Young.

“We are not looking to arrest them,” Young said. “We want them to assist in the investigation. We don’t have any indication that this was set intentionally.”

The new details came from two witnesses whom fire investigators interviewed over the weekend. The witnesses also were fishing near the middle of the pier that day and saw the fire in its early stages, Young said.

The witnesses reported seeing two men fishing on the east end of the pier with an aluminum bowl-like object that resembled a disposable roasting pot, Young said. The witnesses said the pot was being used as a barbecue and appeared to emit smoke.

A few minutes later, the fire erupted on the boardwalk and the witnesses said they noticed the two fishermen running from the scene, Young said. Other witnesses also have described two men with tattoos running off the pier as the fire started.

“There may have been no reason for them to run except that they were scared,” Young said. “We have no evidence to the contrary.”

City laws prohibit the operation of grills on the pier, which is one of the few wood boardwalks in Southern California.

Young said charcoals can reach a temperature of 1,500 degrees. Hot coals easily could burn through an aluminum roasting pot and fall through cracks in the boardwalk, he added.

More than 40 people have called the fire department to report tips about the pier blaze, which caused at least $350,000 in damage and temporarily stranded more than 100 people. No one was injured.