Pizza patio burns as black smoke wafts to the sky

A fire at a Miami pizzeria just east of Biscayne Boulevard puffed ominous black smoke clouds into the Monday afternoon sky.

The visuals matched the damage to the patio area of The Olde River Pizzeria & Tavern, 620 NE 78th St. On the other hand, as the restaurant had been closed since 11 p.m. Sunday, there were no customers to be endangered. Miami Fire Rescue Captain Ignatius Carroll said there were no injuries, no damage to adjacent businesses and minimal smoke damage inside the restaurant.

Carroll said a restaurant employee discovered the fire in the patio area. Before getting out, Carroll said, the employee helped a boat captain get his docked boat to safety. Miami firefighters arrived just after 2:30 p.m. and got the blaze under control in 10 to 15 minutes.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Pizza patio burns as black smoke wafts to the sky."