Story by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News
Pier 19 and The Osprey Charter Fishing office and souvenir shop on South Padre Island burned to the ground Feb. 23. Whether a new structure will be built is the question on everyone’s mind.
The two businesses caught fire during the wee hours on that February morning as people watched the inferno that made it collapse into the waters of the Laguna Madre.
Pier 19 is a popular island restaurant and one of a number of eateries in the SPI-Port Isabel area where they “cook your catch” of the day.
The marketing gimmick refers to the practice of letting anglers bring their fresh fish fillets and a cook will fix them in one of several ways a client would like, such as fried, broiled, grilled, pecan crusted or Veracruz, Mexico-style.
For a mere $10 per person, the cooked fish is usually served on a big platter — one of the best bargains on the island.
Ray De La Rosa, the business manager, said Pier 19 opened in 2009 as a seafood and Tex-Mex restaurant.
He said 67 people worked there before the Feb. 23 fire, which broke out around 2:30 a.m., destroying the building.
De La Rosa said some of the employees were offered jobs at the other company businesses like the Sea Ranch, Marcello’s, Laguna Bob and Pirate’s Landing, while others sought jobs elsewhere.
After the building burned, sometime around 5 p.m., the north wind switched, reigniting the flames, and causing the pier and a cabana to burn as well.
De La Rosa said KOA has been leasing the property from the state, and Pier 19 and The Osprey were co-leasing the facility.
KOA’s campground stretches from Padre Boulevard toward the two businesses — separated by a parking lot.
In addition to the restaurant and old fishing pier, the building housed a tackle store where anglers pay to fish on the Osprey boat.
Phil Calo, who owned the fishing operation, said he has been renting about 900 square feet of the building since 1997.
“We were leasing the property from KOA,” he said. “But everything is gone now.”
He asked if his shop or Pier 19 will ever rebuild, Calo replied, “That’s a little premature at this time.”
According to Pier 19 personnel, KOA said they will likely use the parking spaces for more RV spots, and building a new structure wasn’t likely at this time.
The Osprey‘s deep sea and bay boats were docked off the side of the building when the fire broke out, but were untied thanks to the quick response from the Island police and fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The vessels are now docked at the Pirate’s Landing Fishing Pier and resumed their fishing operations in the bay and offshore.
