SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The smell of smoke lingered Thursday above rubble in Mission Valley where a beloved country bar and dance hall used to stand.
“I'm feeling very sad. I was just about in tears a minute ago just to see this place burned,” said Tui Fundora, who reminisced about memories of the old InCahoots Dance Hall & Saloon.
She said she wanted to stop by the building, which caught fire on Christmas Day, to see it one more time before it’s gone for good.
Fundora heard about the blaze on a Facebook group where old patrons of the bar keep in touch.
InCahoots closed in 2018 despite a petition from patrons trying to save it. The dance hall has been boarded up ever since and caught fire in late October.
“We always hoped that maybe it would get opened up again,” said Fundora, who used to dance at InCahoots several times a week.
She smiled as she recalled friendships and even marriages that were born at the saloon.
“It was just a very friendly place to come. Everybody got along. There were young kids. There were older people and everybody just kind of meshed together very well.”
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the blaze is under investigation and is considered suspicious. No one was injured in the fire.
