Former "Burnt Ramen" punk club goes up in smoke

Richmond firefighters responded to the 100 block of Espee Avenue around 2:30 a.m. Sunday for a commercial structure fire at the former Burnt Ramen punk rock music club.

Firefighters said when they arrived at the scene they found smoke and flames coming from the two-story structure. As crews worked to access the building to get hose lines in place, other crew members went to the roof for vertical ventilation to help fight the blaze.

Firefighters said due to the size of the structure, the extent of the fire, and numerous interior modifications to the former music venue, a second alarm was requested.

Firefighters said they had the flames under control within approximately 30 minutes, but remained at the scene to ensure all hotspots were extinguished.

Crews were still at the scene as of Monday morning, and no injuries were reported in the fire.

Burnt Ramen, located at 111 Espee Avenue was an underground music venue that began in 1994 in West Oakland and played host to live punk music for almost a decade. The club relocated to Richmond in 1998 and was shut down by city officials following concerns about safety and a failed inspection in December of 2016. 

Tom Butt, who was mayor at the time, wrote in his E-Forum newsletter that the building had been red-tagged following an inspection.

“The Richmond Fire Department, Code Enforcement, and Planning conducted a joint inspection of the property located at 111 Espee Ave (Burnt Ramen). During the inspection, it was noticed that the property has numerous safety violations that require immediate attention. Because of the safety concerns, it was determined the building is not trustworthy for habitation, and the building was red tagged. Six people, none were on site, are being told to find other accommodations until the violation are corrected,” Butt wrote.

The shutdown of the club sparked a protest at the city's December 20, 2016 council meeting, according to Butt, who said, "the speakers accused the City of unfairly targeting artists and musicians."

Local musician Dan Abbott, remembers playing at Burnt Ramen, and said it was a great place for underground shows.

"It was often kind of a dismal place inside, full of people living on the edges of society. The smell of stale cigarettes and old beer cans. I was never quite sure of its legal status – was it a live/work space? A squat? Who knew? In West Contra Costa County underground spaces and all-ages venues didn't usually last very long, so I was never sure why Burnt Ramen had such staying power," Abbott said. "But the people who lived at Burnt Ramen and ran the place seemed deeply committed to maintaining a place for underground music, art, and community. For all its problems it was a great space to see a cheap show away from the prying eyes of the cops."

Burnt Ramen owner Michael Malin, told CC Pulse in the days following Oakland's Ghost Ship fire, and just before Richmond city officials moved to shut him down, that his club had already been inspected.

"The place has been inspected twice. As far as being a nightclub, I wouldn’t call it that. I would just call it our house and we happen to have bands come in and play every now and then."

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