25 years ago this week in Redondo Beach…
A helicopter hovers and onlookers stand agape as the pier burns. ALL PHOTOS BY STEVE CRECY
…the Pier was ablaze. A massive fire on May 27 in 1988 destroyed 34,000 square feet of the pier, including 15 businesses, and causing $7 million worth of damage.
On that late May morning, Hermosa Beach photographer Steve Crecy was helping his neighbor patch a spot on the front wall of his home.
“We started hearing more and more fire trucks,” Crecy wrote in an email. “I eventually ran to my sundeck to see a huge plume of smoke coming from the Redondo Pier area… I grabbed my Hasseblad camera… and jumped into my car and headed down there.”
In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of that devastating fire, Crecy shared some of those photos with Easy Reader.
These are shots that have been hidden in his dresser drawer for 24 years.
Smoke engulfed the Redondo Beach Pier on May 27, 1988 – 25 years ago this week.
The Redondo Beach Pier on May 27, 1988.
Fire fighters, including then-chief Pat Aust (wearing tie), discuss their plan of action on May 27, 1988.
A plume of smoke seen from 190th and Anita in Redondo Beach on May 27, 1988.
The flames could be seen from afar, as they engulfed 15 Redondo Beach Pier businesses.
An eerie emptiness serves as a reminder of the devastation the Redondo Beach Pier suffered 25 years ago.
Nearly 34,000 square feet of the horseshoe section of the Redondo Beach Pier burned down 25 years ago this week.