Seal Beach Says No Smoking on Pier

Less than a month after a fire trapped dozens of people at the end of the Seal Beach Pier, the City Council this week voted to ban smoking to prevent a similar potential disaster.

The smoking prohibition is believed to be the first at an Orange County pier, an unheard-of safety precaution even at Southern California piers that have been devastated by fire in past decades--including the Santa Monica Pier, Redondo Beach Pier and Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.

A discarded cigarette smoldering in the Seal Beach Pier’s wooden planks is believed to have caused a small blaze that stranded customers at the Ruby’s restaurant April 1. The blaze took 30 firefighters and a fireboat a half hour to bring under control, and left a 4-by-4-foot hole in the structure.

“It was a no-brainer,” Seal Beach Mayor Paul Yost said of the smoking ban. “It’s a wooden pier, and it’s our landmark and it’s almost burned down a couple of times.”

The City Council approved the ban 4-0 Tuesday night. No members of the public spoke in opposition. Yost, a doctor, said the ordinance is purely a fire safety issue, not a commentary on the health hazards affiliated with smoking.

“We’re not making a big political statement about it other than we’d like to keep our historical landmark, and please don’t burn it down,” Yost said. “Not that cigarette smoking isn’t incredibly bad for you.”

Until the ban takes full effect in 30 days, smokers who light up will be issued warning citations. Once the 30-day period expires, citations for smoking could cost violators up to $150.

Strolling the pier Tuesday, Tom and Julie Fitch said they were happy about the ban.

“It’s nice to have sea air by itself,” Tom Fitch said.

Buena Park resident Michael Haye, 25, visits the pier once a week to fish, and was surprised to hear about the ban. His tackle box includes a tiny cache of cigarettes, and Tuesday he said he’ll be hard-pressed to leave them behind.

“[The ban] is a little drastic,” Haye said. “A lot of people come out here to smoke.”

Officials in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach said their piers are better protected for fire danger because the structures are coated with concrete. Still, their piers have wooden undercarriages or buildings that could be set ablaze by a discarded cigarette or cigar, they said.

While Newport Beach has not considered a smoking ban on its piers, the city might “consider improving our fire safety standards when we complete [planned] resurfacing and improvement,” said deputy city manager Dave Kiff.

Asphalt and concrete also cover major portions of the Santa Monica Pier, and areas with wooden planks and wooden undercarriage are protected by an elaborate fire sprinkler system, said Assistant Fire Chief Jim Hone of the city fire marshal’s office.