A bar and restaurant in Plymouth belched black smoke from its roof shortly after sunrise Wednesday, prompting firefighters to respond to the fire scene within sight of commuters on Interstate 494, officials said.

The blaze was reported to the fire department shortly after 7:30 a.m. at Cowboy Jack's, just west of I-494 near the Rockford Road exit, said city spokeswoman Helen LaFave. Within 30 minutes of arriving, firefighters had the fire under control, LaFave said.

An official with the business said there were no people in the building at the time. Authorities have yet to address how the blaze started.

Assistant Fire Chief John Blake said smoke was coming from ventilation equipment above the kitchen and was confined to that area. The kitchen and the roof above it took the brunt of the damage from smoke and fire but also from the water needed to contain the blaze, Blake said.

Cowboy Jack's also has locations in Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Woodbury, Otsego, Rochester, Des Moines and Fredericksburg, Va.

Paul Walsh