A fire heavily damaged a longtime Washington restaurant early Saturday afternoon.

The fire apparently started in the kitchen area of Blackbeard’s off Carolina Avenue, according to William Pitt, a Washington city councilman and a firefighter.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t tonight,” Pitt said, pointing out the restaurant was closed when the fire started.

He had no word on the exact point of origin or cause of the fire.

No one was inside the building when the fire broke out, and no one was injured, said Demetrice Green, a cook.

Green hadn’t reported for work when the fire call was made.

The restaurant’s bar wasn’t due to open until 4 p.m., and the dining room was set to open at 5.

“I was next door,” said Green, who added she dialed 911 and was told a call already had been taken by a telecommunicator.

A.G. Swanner, owner of Blackbeard’s, was at the scene as fire crews arrived.

“Well, you live by the sword, you die by the sword,” Swanner said.

Later, Swanner told employees gathered in the parking lot he would find a way to start over.

Some employees huddled with Swanner to hug, cry or talk about the fire.

At least three fire departments responded to the incident: Washington Fire Rescue-EMS, Bunyan Volunteer Fire Department and Chocowinity Volunteer Fire Department, said Pitt.

Smoke could be seen billowing from the roof of the building as firefighters entered through the front door and a back entrance.

A ladder was extended from a ladder truck to place three firefighters on the roof.

Glass could be heard breaking.

Later, pressurized water propelled through fire hoses could be seen shooting out of the roof and through holes that either had been knocked or burned into a wall.

At one point, fire personnel brought a charred sign out of the front door. The sign’s logo had been blackened beyond recognition.

Residents of and visitors to the neighborhood immediately behind Blackbeard’s watched firefighters do their work, evidently awed by the sight.

Information on the full extent of the damage wasn’t immediately available Saturday.