Snoopy’s Pier reopens amid post-fire cleanup of Marker 37 Marina, with swift repairs underway before spring break. Community support boosts recovery efforts.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —  Snoopy’s Pier has officially reopened for business as cleanup continues after a fire destroyed part of Marker 37 Marina on North Padre Island Monday morning.
Even with the smell of smoke in the air and the sound of repairs underway, it hasn’t slowed customers like Ben Larson from showing up.
“It’s great that people can come down and just try to move forward. They can clean it up and rebuild, and, you know, people can still come down to the area and enjoy a nice meal, lunch or dinner,” Larson said.
Larson doesn’t live in the area anymore, but he and his parents visit every year, and they couldn’t believe the damage left behind from Monday morning’s fire.
“It’s really sad to see whatever happened. A couple of buildings further back looked like they were saved,” Larson said. “But the Cuban, it was kind of a blessing in disguise in a way because they used to be back in there, and now they’re here, so they’re probably very grateful for that.”
Sunset Island CEO Steve Gotberg is grateful the fire just missed the restaurants.
“If you knew the number of stages I’ve gone through — as I’m sure many others have over the last 48 hours — I think once I first got here, my first thought was, ‘Thank you, Lord, for a north wind,'” Gotberg said. “You see my office over there and where that fire ended? It was literally about this distance from my office to where the flames were, and because of the north wind, we were protected.”
According to Corpus Christi Fire Department Assistant Chief Tony Perez, investigators determined the fire originated in the southeast corner of the boat dock.
With spring break right around the corner, Gotberg said they’re working quickly to get everything repaired.
“There was a little more damage across at the fuel dock than we had anticipated at first, but we are going to open in stages,” Gotberg said. “At least the boat ramp and areas for people going out fishing can open as quickly as possible while we begin repairing the fuel docks and boat slips.”
Larson said he’s confident that with community support, the area will bounce back even stronger.
“My understanding is I don’t think there’s any loss of life. Nobody got hurt or worse, which is good. That alone is a relief. The property can be replaced, and a lot of Marker 37 looks like it was untouched or only had minor damage,” Larson said.
Perez said a total of 14 boats sustained fire damage, while 21 boat stalls and approximately 300 feet of pier were also damaged in the blaze. The vessels involved include both commercial and privately owned boats, and not all were insured.
Due to the extensive fire damage and limited available video footage, Perez said the exact cause of the fire remains undetermined. He added that the case remains open but inactive unless additional information is discovered.
Gotberg said he’s grateful to the community for their support and to the fire crews for acting quickly to prevent even bigger losses. The Corpus Christi Fire Department said they’ll have an update on the investigation Thursday.