Judy Dyer inspects the cases of pastries at Arizmendi Bakery and Pizzeria's Mission District location, which was not affected by the fire. | Source: Camille Cohen/The Standard
San Francisco's popular Arizmendi Bakery will close Friday for a few days or more for repairs after a kitchen fire on Thursday morning, staff said.
A San Francisco Fire Department spokesman said 39 firefighters responded to the fire at around 10:45 a.m.
Arizmendi Bakery is on Ninth Avenue between Irving and Judah streets in the Inner Sunset neighborhood. The fire was contained within minutes, officials said.
In a post on its website, a bakery representative said a small fire in a flue caused damage to some equipment but did not injure anyone.
"We'll probably have to close for a few days (or more) to fix it," the post said. "We're meeting tomorrow and we'll let you know more then! We've turned off online ordering for now... Sorry!"
Fresh sourdough baguettes wait to be selected at Arizmendi Bakery. | Source: Camille Cohen/The Standard
A voicemail left on the bakery's phone number said it would continue to sell goods made earlier Thursday until 5 p.m. before urging customers to check its social media accounts for updates on reopening.
One of the oldest food cooperatives in the Bay Area, Arizmendi was established in 1997 with support from Berkeley’s worker-owned Cheese Board Collective. The bakery takes its name from Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta, a Basque labor organizer who helped to create a federation of worker cooperatives in the 1950s.
There are also Arizmendi bakeries in the Mission, Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville and San Rafael. All locations are independently operated, so decision-making power about prices and products rests in the hands of the workers at each location.
