Fire Causes Major Damage to SF’s Mel’s Drive-In on Lombard Street

An early morning fire on Tuesday appears to have caused major damage to San Francisco’s Mel’s Drive-In on Lombard Street.

Fire crews responded to the diner just after 4 a.m. Cleaning personnel at the restaurant reported a fire that had begun in the building’s attic area, near its kitchen hood, according to San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Lt. Mariano Elias. Its cause was accidental.

Firefighters extinguished the flames within an hour, and no injuries or displacements have been reported, but the iconic restaurant appears to have sustained significant internal damage. Elias said that the Mel’s team is currently assessing it, and there is not yet a timeline for when it could be able to reopen.

In video footage shared by the Fire Department on social media, Mel’s old-school diner counter area and kitchen appear to be strewn in ash and debris, and large portions of the ceiling have been ripped up. There also appears to be some water damage, as water flowed down from the ceiling in the kitchen.

Elias said much of the damage was the result of firefighting activity, since officials had to rip up some walls and ceilings to reach flames.

Lombard Street between Steiner and Fillmore reopened at about 8:30 a.m. The department urged people to check Mel’s social media accounts for updates on its reopening.

“If [people] are visiting for the Super Bowl, and this was one of their iconic locations to visit, we’re encouraging them to look at some of the other Mel’s locations in San Francisco,” Elias said.

The retro diner, a hot spot for tourists, opened on Lombard Street in 1985 to revive the Mel’s brand after the original drive-in restaurant on South Van Ness Avenue and the chain that it spawned were sold off in the ’70s.