Cafegoers and staff at a popular Wellington restaurant had to be evacuated as well as a neighbouring building after a fire started in the kitchen.
The Fire Service was called to the scene at Beach Babylon on Oriental Pde around 9am.
Area Commander Paul Smith says crew found a small kitchen fire when they arrived, which had spread to the ceiling and walls.
He said it was "a little hard to control initially", and was also difficult to find at first.
However, it had now been extinguished and hotspots being dampened down.
There was no fear the fire would spread to neighbouring buildings, but could have spread within the building.
Café owner Simon Holtham wasn't at the restaurant at the time, but said there would have been around seven staff as well as customers inside.
"Everyone got out fine from what I understand so that's obviously the paramount thing is everyone's safety," he says.
"It was lucky it happened when we were here as opposed to in the middle of the night when no one was around."
A large plume of smoke was seen coming from the premises.
At this stage at least ten fire trucks are at the scene as well as St John's ambulance as a precaution.
Newshub.
