A two-alarm fire caused "heavy" damage to the inside of a Japanese restaurant in the 2800 block of Washington Road this morning, an official said.

Kurama Japanese Seafood Steakhouse and Sushi Bar was closed at the time of the fire, which occurred around 8:30 a.m., said Battalion Chief Ivan Bolgla of the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department. Consequently, no one was injured.

At this point, the fire doesn't appear suspicious, the battalion chief said. It probably began outside in the rear of the building.

Eight fire engines and about 25 firefighters were on scene for the blaze.

"The more firefighters we have, the quicker we can rotate them in and out," Chief Bolgla said.

Dakota West owns The Country Club, a country night club in the same building. He rushed to the scene after a friend called to tell him about the fire.

Flames were "shooting out" the top of Kurama's roof, he said.

Businesses in the same building as the restaurant suffered smoke damage, but it could have been worse had it not been for the firewalls controlling the blaze, Chief Bolgla said.

Kurama probably won't be able to open for a while, but surrounding businesses, such as Robbie's Sports Bar, could open today depending on the extent of the smoke damage, he said.

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Reach Greg Gelpi at 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com