Fire Damages Downtown Kansas City Eatery

A smoky three-alarm fire forced the evacuation of a 12-story downtown building Monday afternoon and snarled rush-hour traffic.

The fire started in the kitchen of a ground-floor Japanese restaurant in the 100 block of West 11th Street shortly after 4 p.m.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, but smoke got into the building's ventilation system and spread throughout the structure, Fire Department spokesman Germane Friends said.

Because of the smoke, emergency crews evacuated the building. Traffic was shut down around the building as firefighters worked.

No injuries were reported.