An elaborate, 12-minute, professional fireworks spectacular that took many SF residents by surprise last Saturday night turns out to have been a private show for which advance notice wasn't given to the public.

Dog owners, especially, in and around North Beach and the northern part of the Embarcadero were pissed Saturday night that there was a disruptive — if visually stunning — fireworks display off Pier 27 that they didn't know would be coming. Skittish pups and grumpy elders — as well as some Telegraph Hill-dwelling coyotes — may have been unhappy, but many also found the display to be an unexpected delight.

ABC 7's JR Stone says he spent a couple days trying to figure out what happened, and it turns out this was a Port of SF-approved fireworks show that was part of a 50th anniversary party happening for a local company called Computers and Structures, Inc. (It's a Walnut Creek-based structural and earthquake engineering software company that was founded in 1975.)

Pat Dyas of Pyro Spectaculars put on the display for the company celebration, and tells ABC 7, "This display was commensurate in dollars to a large public display that would be seen perhaps on New Year's in San Francisco, except instead of being performed in 20 minutes, it was performed in just over 12 min."

The Port of SF tells ABC 7 that it is considering ways to be more transparent about when it approves such fireworks displays. But given that this was a private show, and the city didn't want people to be driving in or gathering on the Embarcadero to see it — which would have required city resources like police to deal with — they don't always want this information spread far and wide.

"I don't like the fact that a private individual can just have something that's so disruptive," said nearby resident Frank Taylor, speaking to ABC 7. "I mean, everybody here has a dog. I mean, I have a dog. My dog was freaking out."

Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI) put out a statement about the display, saying that the party had been for 1,500 invited guests "to celebrate the structural engineering profession." The company's founder and CEO, Ashraf Habibullah said the party was not just for his company's 50th anniversary, but also "to recognize and thank all of the individuals who helped the company grow to what it is today."

"Structural engineers are the reason why buildings don't topple over in windstorms and bridges don't fall down during earthquakes," Habibullah said. "They are literally saving lives every time the wind blows or the earth shakes. Structural engineers are the true heroes of modern society. Structural engineering is a profession that not only makes life better for humanity on a daily basis but preserves and protects progress and prosperity for all of us today and for countless generations to come. It's a profession that deserves to be celebrated!"

Photo by Elisha Terada