Updated: Firefighters raced to Ballard’s historic firehouse today after a report of a small fire in the kitchen. The lunchtime crowd at the Hi-Life was “gently asked to exit the building,” said My Ballard reader Seonaidh who emailed us this photo of fire crews entering the front of the building:

And Earnie sent us this photo of the ladder truck outside:

The fire turned out to be a small blaze in the hood of a range, which spit out a lot of smoke. Firefighters have since packed up and left. (Thanks for your tips!)