CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Firefighters are working to extinguish a large fire that broke out at Applebee’s in Garden City in Cranston.

Crews responding to the scene around 5:30 a.m. found heavy flames and large plumes of smoke coming from the roof.

“Applebee’s closed around 1 o’clock so it appears to be a grease fire and it got quite a jump on us during the night in the ceiling area,” Fire Chief Robert Ryan said.

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Residents who live nearby say the fire alarms in their homes were going off due to all of the smoke.

“[The smoke] was choking actually I had my car window open and I had to shut it because it was so strong,” said Linda Cantone who lives nearby.

Rayn said the building is a total loss but they were able to save the rest of the strip.

“Our fire department did a fantastic job in knocking it down and saving the other buildings that were attached to it,” Mayor Ken Hopkins said.

It’s unclear if anyone was injured.

This is a breaking news story, check back for updates.

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