The three people were inspecting the wharf when it partially collapsed in strong waves. None were seriously harmed.

A part of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed Monday afternoon during a high-surf warning, with authorities confirming two people had to be pulled from the water.

A portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the ocean as the result of a deadly pre-holiday storm that has claimed the life of at least one person.

SANTA CRUZ — Three workers inspecting the Santa Cruz Wharf fell into the choppy ocean waves and had to be rescued after part of the structure collapsed Monday, said city officials who fear the next storm could cause more damage. Two of the victims were rescued from the waters by lifeguards and a third self-rescued, officials said.

A retired Santa Cruz Wharf supervisor said old steel fasteners had been loosening and the structure had been slowly breaking apart for years.

While already on alert because of the high surf that hit the Monterey Bay coast Monday, Santa Cruz Lifeguards Lt. Isiah Mullen and Lt. Sam Hofmann, stationed on a Jet Ski in the water near Cowell

When the last 150 feet of Santa Cruz’s iconic wharf plummeted into the ocean Monday, city leaders were still grappling with damage it had sustained two years earlier during back-to-back winter storms.

City officials in Santa Cruz say swindlers claiming to represent businesses on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf are soliciting donations following the structure's partial collapse.