"It's a smoky situation," Fairfield spokeswoman Gale Spears said. The amount of smoke caused the fire to be escalated to five alarms, she said.
The fire was reported at about 6:45 p.m. by someone who was inside The Original Pepperbelly's Comedy & Variety Theater, located at 849 Texas St., fire Chief Vincent Webster said.
The blaze may have started inside the building, he said.
The exterior of the two-story structure, built in the 1960s, remains intact.
The fire was extinguished at 10:16 p.m. Between 90 and 100 firefighters responded. One crew planned to remain at the club overnight, Spears said.
No injuries were reported; no other buildings were damaged.
The cause of the fire is unknown. Damage estimates were not available.
A fire inspector told Spears he likely would not investigate the building until Monday.
More information about the club can be found atpepperbellys.com/index.cfm.
