The historic Alamo Drafthouse New Mission cinema (2550 Mission St.) is temporarily closed, after sustaining a Sunday-morning electrical fire that forced the evacuation of the building and the cancellation of all the day's screenings.
Hey everyone, due to an electrical fire we will have to suspend operations until we’re cleared by SFFD. Tickets for upcoming shows have been taken off-sale and will be posted as soon as we have clearance.
— Alamo San Francisco (@DrafthouseSF) August 18, 2019
The theater's creative manager, Jake Isgar, told SFGate that the fire was a small one, caused by the batteries that power the theater's emergency light system. Though the damage was minimal, the theater has to clear out lingering smoke and remove any hazardous materials before it can reopen to the public.
On Twitter, Alamo Drafthouse noted that the fire "was an isolated incident, with a set of back-up batteries that are in the process of being replaced and troubleshot."
The Fire Department did not respond to a request for comment on the blaze, but an Alamo Drafthouse representative told Hoodline via phone that she believed the theater would reopen later today. She said the reopening would be confirmed on the theater's social media accounts.
Pre-purchased tickets for Sunday and Monday showings can be refunded directly through the Alamo Drafthouse app, or by calling (415) 549-5959.
The New Mission Theater building that houses the Alamo Drafthouse became a city landmark in 2004. Built in 1916, it's best known for its 70-foot pylon blade sign, with neon tubes spelling out "New Mission" on its Art Deco facade.
Update, 1:11 p.m.: A Fire Department representative told Hoodline that the New Mission theater building was released back to its owners on Sunday. Its continued closure may be due to a needed inspection by the Department of Building Inspection. We've reached out to DBI to determine if, and when, it plans to allow the building to reopen.
Update, 2:54 p.m.: The theater is back open, and tonight's screenings will continue as planned.
Hey everyone!
— Alamo San Francisco (@DrafthouseSF) August 19, 2019
As of 2:30pm this afternoon, we're back open. Tickets are now on-sale for tonight's shows. Thank you all for the well wishes and kind words as our team worked to get us back up and running.
