Pictured is the rear portion of West End Bar & Restaurant in Millstadt, which shows the extent of fire damage sustained to the building on Tuesday morning. (Corey Saathoff photo)

The Millstadt, Columbia and Smithton fire departments responded about 7 a.m. Tuesday to a fire at West End Bar & Restaurant on Laurel Street in Millstadt.

Flames were seen shooting from the two-story structure upon firefighter arrival.

The fire, which was extinguished quickly, originated in the back kitchen area of the tavern. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the main dining room and bar areas, but the kitchen area was heavily damaged. There was some smoke damage to the front bar area.

There was no one inside when the fire started. No injuries were reported.

Servpro, a fire damage restoration company, was on scene early Tuesday morning to assist tavern owners in starting the cleanup process.