Two people were rescued and a third swam to safety after a California pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean Monday as the state's central coast was pounded by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the seas off the Pacific Northwest,

Dangerous waves brought down part of the Santa Cruz Pier on Monday and prompted multiple water rescues from the Pacific Ocean this week as waves up to 50 feet are forecast along the shores of California.

The collapse happened as the central coast was hit by heavy surf from a major storm, which is expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the Pacific Northwest.