Original Joe's Needs to Stop Having Fires. North Beach Location Suffers Small Kitchen Fire

Firefighters responded to heavy smoke rising from the roof of Original Joe's at Union and Stockton streets just after 8 pm Wednesday. The fire was located in a chimney or exhaust flue connected to the kitchen and was contained by 8:19 pm. Union Street and part of Stockton Street were temporarily closed for firefighting and cleanup, and the restaurant and a neighboring building were evacuated. It remained unclear whether the restaurant suffered serious damage, and no injuries were reported. The building was turned back over to the owners Wednesday night. The North Beach location opened in 2012 after earlier fires shut down the Taylor Street site in 2007. The owners have expanded to multiple locations, including one in Walnut Creek that also experienced a kitchen fire shortly after opening.

"San Francisco firefighters were called to the scene at Union and Stockton streets just after 8 pm Wednesday after heavy smoke was seen rising from the roof of Original Joe's. As the SFFD reported, the fire was in a chimney or exhaust flue, coming out of the kitchen, and it was contained as of 8:19 pm. Part of Union Street and a section of Stockton Street were both temporarily closed for the firefight and cleanup, and the restaurant and a neighboring building were both evacuated during this process."

"As KTVU reports, it remained unclear Wednesday night whether the restaurant suffered any serious damage. Original Joe's has not posted any update to its social media. No injuries were reported and the SFFD said the building was turned back over to the owners Wednesday night."

"This flagship Original Joe's opened in this space (formerly Joe DiMaggio's and, even earlier, Fior d'Italia) in 2012. The restaurant relocated and reopened here after an October 2007 fire shut down the original location on Taylor Street in the Tenderloin. Third-generation owners John and Elena Duggan, who are brother and sister, have since expanded the business to include Little Original Joe's locations in West Portal and the Marina, as well as the revamped Daly City Original Joe's."

"A third Original Joe's location that opened last August in Walnut Creek also suffered a kitchen fire that shut it down just days after its grand opening. That location reopened in October. We'll update this story once there is word about whether the North Beach restaurant will be open as usual tonight."

Read at sfist.com