Firefighters say it was welding work that started the massive four-alarm fire that destroyed Pier 29 last month.
Mindy Talmadge, spokeswoman for the Fire Department, said workers were welding a ladder to the outside of the building when sparks flew through a crack in the concrete, igniting the fire.
The blaze started just before 2 p.m. on June 20, shutting down traffic and trolleys along the Embarcadero for hours while dozens of firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.
The building, which is supposed to house the America's Cup, was vacant at
the time of the fire. The blaze caused more than $2.37 million in damages, Talmadge said.
"It's my understanding [the workers] did everything they were supposed to -- they even had a fire watch after they finished work," Talmadge told us. "To my knowledge it was determined to be accidental."
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