Firefighters put out a blaze that was burning Saturday morning in the Jergins Tunnel that runs under Ocean Boulevard, marking the second time fire crews have been called to the closed-off tunnel this year.
The fire started shortly before 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters said smoke was seen coming from the boarded-up area, said Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Jack Crabtree.
Accessing the fire was “labor-intensive,” Crabtree said, adding that firefighters had to take down plywood before they could douse the flaming debris inside.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze.
The Jergins Tunnel has been sealed since 1967, and its south entrance has been resealed at least four times after fires in recent years.
Past fires in the tunnel have been related to homeless encampments inside. Crabtree said investigators have not yet concluded what sparked this blaze.
Local businessman Andrew Jergins built the tunnel in 1927 to allow visitors easy access to the old Pike amusement park.
Once a bustling pedestrian walkway, the tunnel has since become a burden for the city to keep encampment-free.
In 2023, the mayor announced that the tunnel would be used as a speakeasy at the planned Hard Rock Hotel, which has yet to break ground on the vacant lot at Pine and Ocean.