Cause Of Benicia Port Fire Appears To Be Unintentional, Fire Chief Says

BENICIA (CBS SF) – A massive fire that consumed part of the pier at the Port of Benicia over the weekend appeared to be unintentional, the city's fire chief said Tuesday.

"While the fire investigation is still open and ongoing, preliminary findings indicate that the origin of the fire was on or near the lower portion of the coke conveyor belt system near the base of the silos," Fire Chief Josh Chadwick said in a statement.

"The fire appears to be unintentional in nature. Electrical and mechanical causes have not yet been ruled out," Chadwick went on to say.

Around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, fire crews were called to the wharf area for a fire near the petcoke silos. Petcoke is a byproduct of the oil refining process.

The fire was not contained until 9:40 a.m. the following day and was declared extinguished shortly after 12:20 p.m., nearly a day after it started.

Chadwick said the fire burned in the wooden support structure that had been treated years ago with creosote — a wood preservative that made it hard to extinguish.

Aside from the flames, the massive smoke plume was also of concern.

"The smoke emitting from the fire contained particulate matter and the potential of toxicity from chemicals," Chadwick said Sunday. "We were fortunate in having continuous wind blowing from the west, allowing the smoke to blow towards the water and dissipate before impacting other populated areas."

No injuries from the fire were reported.