San Francisco Irish Knights of the Red Branch

A piece of San Francisco history went up in flames Tuesday when a stubborn one-alarm fire destroyed the former home of an Irish fraternal organization.
The unreinforced masonry structure, on Mission Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, was so badly damaged that the city's Department of Building Inspection plans to issue a demolition order early Wednesday.
"The feeling is that it's better to knock it down before it falls down," said Bill Strawn, a spokesman for the building department. "The structure has been weakened to such a point that it could collapse at any time."

The fire at 1133 Mission St. was reported at 6:51 a.m. Tuesday and was still burning well into the night. Fire crews were pulled from the interior when the ceiling collapsed, but about 30 firefighters continued their water bombardment from the sidewalk and atop a ladder that hovered above the building.
The old brick structure was supported by thick wooden beams - perfect fuel to keep the building aflame. Firefighters periodically turned off the hoses throughout the day, but the flames kept coming back to life.
"We're going to be on the scene all night," said San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Ken Smith.
Crews kept the fire from spreading to the building next door - home to the local firefighters union.
One firefighter suffered burns on the neck, and a second was injured when the ceiling fell. They were treated and released, officials said.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire. Assistant Fire Chief John Lo said the building had been vacant and under renovation. Workers were last in the building at 10 p.m. Monday, authorities said.
The building is owned by the Knights of the Red Branch, an Irish fraternal organization, which planned to lease it to a Presbyterian church, senior building inspector Ed Sweeney said. Like many at the fire scene, he had a personal link to the building.
"My parents met there," he said.
During its heyday from the 1920s to the 1950s, the social club and dance hall served as a hub for the city's Irish community. Dances were held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Tom Hayes, an Irish immigrant, met his future wife there around 1949. Tom and Patricia Hayes have been married for 55 years, said their daughter, Joanne Hayes-White, San Francisco's fire chief.
"There's a lot of history in that building," she said.

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San Francisco Irish Knights of the Red Branch