Firefighters quickly extinguished an exterior fire at the boarded-up Spires restaurant on Lakewood Boulevard Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Firefighters got to the scene at 11:40 a.m. and initially saw smoke rising from the back of the building, although they were unsure if the flames were inside or outside, Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Jake Heflin said.

After investigating, they found that the fire was outside the back of the building and burning a nearby tree, which spread onto the roof of the building, he said.

Smoke had also filled the inside of the restaurant, so firefighters had to open the building to vent it. Firefighters extinguished the fire by noon. They also called a hazardous materials team because they found drug paraphernalia inside the building.

Fire investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

The building that housed the Spires restaurant is set to be knocked down and replaced with a new development, including a Jack-in-the-Box and a Starbucks.