Fire at Original Joe's caused $2 million in damage

One of San Francisco's oldest eateries, Original Joe's succombed to a two-alarm fire Friday. The fire that began in the kitchen area of the restaurant,
quickly spread to the upper floor and caused an estimated $2 million in damage.
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Caitlin Cassady

October 16, 2007

A fire that ripped through San Francisco's Original Joe's restaurant Friday caused around $2 million in damage and will keep the famous restaurant closed for a few months, Lt. Mindy Talmadge said yesterday.

According to Talmadge, the blaze caused around $1.5 million in structural damage and around $500,000 in damage to the restaurant's contents.

Firefighters received reports of flames coming from 144 Taylor St. in the city's Tenderloin around 11:42 a.m., Talmadge said. Crews battled the fire for over an hour before it was controlled.

The blaze appeared to have ignited in a flue at the restaurant and forced firefighters to attack the structure, including the hotel above, to access the burning areas, said Talmadge.

Approximately 100 firefighters fought the fire, according to Talmadge. They had to tear open the walls and roof to access the flames.

The fire was controlled by 12:50 p.m. About 10 of the 30 units in the hotel above the restaurant are uninhabitable, Talmadge said. "The building definitely needs to be repaired and boarded up," she added.

No injuries were reported in the fire.

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