Burnt Ramen, an underground venue in Richmond that's hosted live music since 1998, was shut down Friday by city officials after the space failed an inspection.

The venue's owner, Michael Malin a.k.a. Mykee Ramen, said that on Friday morning, about eight inspectors from the City of Richmond looked over the building that he converted into a live-work space almost 20 years ago. By the early afternoon, without telling him why, they red-tagged the space, declaring it uninhabitable.

"We've been working off an off-grid solar system for power, and I don't know what the law is exactly about that but I guess they can use that as cause to red-tag the building, " Malin said.

The city will be providing a list of violations by next week, according to Malin. Richmond Planning Director Richard Mitchell told the East Bay Times that the building "needs to be stripped down and rebuilt."

Malin, 47, says he expected the city to pursue the venue after Richmond Mayor Tom Butt released a statement citing Burnt Ramen as the city's own "Ghost Ship," referring to the Oakland warehouse space where 36 concertgoers were killed in a fire on Dec. 2.

"Building and fire codes are there for a reason, to keep us all safe and alive," Butt wrote. "We need to embrace them and hold those accountable who flout them, particularly for the purpose of making money."