Santa Cruz, Calif. — Two people were rescued and a third swam to safety after a California pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean Monday as the state's central coast was pounded by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the seas off the Pacific Northwest, authorities said.
Residents were warned to stay away from low-lying areas near the beaches around the Santa Cruz Wharf, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, as the storm rapidly gained strength.
“You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water,” the National Weather Service's Bay Area office said on the social platform X.
Lifeguards rescued two people from the water, officials with Santa Cruz Fire Department said. No one had serious injuries, Mayor Fred Keeley said.
The mayor said the section of the wharf that collapsed had been damaged over time. The structure was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter.
“It’s a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf," said David Johnston, owner of Venture Quest Kayaking, who was allowed onto the pier to check on his business.
Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet of the end of the wharf fell into the water around 12:45 p.m. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely.
Some of the wharf’s pilings are still in the ocean and remain “serious, serious hazards” to boats, the mayor said. Each piling weighs hundreds of pounds and is being pushed by powerful waves.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's has been briefed and the state's Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with local officials, his office said.
Forecasters warned that storm swells will continue to increase throughout the day.
“We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning,” the mayor said.
Ocean swells along California's central coast could reach 60 feet as the Pacific storm gains strength through Monday, the weather service said.
“A rapidly developing storm will bring hurricane force winds to the areas well offshore of the Pacific Northwest tonight,” the weather service's Ocean Prediction Center said on X.
The end of the pier that broke off had been shut down during renovations. The portion, which included public restrooms and the closed Dolphin restaurant, floated about half a miles down the coast and wedged itself at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River.
Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the end of the wharf, officials said. No members of the public were in the area.
Building inspectors were now looking at the rest of the Santa Cruz Wharf’s structural integrity.
Monday's collapse came about a year after the Seacliff State Beach pier just down the coast was battered beyond repair by a heavy winter storm.
Further up the West Coast, dangerous surf conditions and waves up to 30 feet were expected from the central Oregon coast up through southwestern Washington. Winds could peak near 80 mph and a high surf warning in effect until 10 p.m. Monday night, forecasters said.
In a post on X, the National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon, said “it will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.”
Copyright Associated Press