A fire at the El Jobean Fishing Pier last night, closes it down until further notice

A fire at the El Jobean Fishing Pier was called in about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday evening by fishermen who saw smoke coming from under the pier. Station 3 is almost across the street from the pier and when they arrived, they found fire burning the railings on the left side of the fishing pier.

The fire burned about 100’ of the structure on the north side of the pier closest to land. Most of the fire was burning under the walking deck, making it very difficult to reach.

C-shift crews from Engines 3, 15, Truck 2, Marine 1 and 2, Battalion 3, and Punta Gorda Fire Department Marine 1 all worked to extinguish the flames.

Thankfully no one was injured by the fire. As of Tuesday evening, visible fire damage included some railings and walk planks but the majority of the fire damage was underneath the pier.

Smoke from the fire blew across El Jobean Road, creating visibility issues. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office temporarily closed the bridge to vehicle traffic as a safety precaution.

The exact cause of the fire will be difficult to determine, but there is a high probability the fire started due to the careless handling of a cigarette butt.

Unfortunately, the popular fishing pier will be closed until repairs can be made.