NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk fire crews are on scene of a fire that started at Crudo Nudo on 21st Street in Ghent, fire officials confirmed to WTKR News 3.
Images captured on scene by our photographer showed multiple firetrucks, with a ladder appearing to be out over the spanish tapas restaurant.
Watch: Fire official update on Crudo Nudo fire
The fire was reported at 10:27 a.m., according to fire officials.
A fire official said crews arrived to find a thick cloud of black smoke emerging from the building. After a forced entry, they determined that no one was caught in the fire. However, the adjacent restaurants and businesses suffered significant smoke damage.
"A lot of this building will be shut down for a while" because the fire spread to several of the other businesses, said a fire official. On the eastern side of Crudo is Mr. Shawarma, then Pho 79, and Kotobuki Japanese Restaurant. On the western side is The Vitamin Shoppe.
The fire was contained in a matter of minutes, but the vast amount of smoke upgraded the response to a second alarm. A fire official said all of the damage was internal.
Crudo Nudo posted the following statement to their Instagram account:
"Hey everyone - we had a fire today at crudo. The staff was fortunately not in the building and no [one] was injured. We are sorting out our lives right now and I'm trying to wrap my head around what's happening. Thank you to everyone who has reached out so far and I will do my best to respond."
Crews are still working to eject the smoke from the affected buildings, according to a fire official.
No injuries are reported, and the Fire Marshal will investigate the cause of the fire.
This is a breaking story that will be updated.
