Over 100 firefighters responded to a Wisconsin Avenue fire Saturday night after an electrical malfunction in offices above Paolo’s Ristorante caused the building to burst into flames.

The fire was contained to the top floors of the building as flames and heavy smoke billowed out of windows. People inside the restaurant had been evacuated before fire officials arrived, according to D.C. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter.

“There was a threat it would spread to other buildings,” Etter said. The large number of firefighters was to “prevent that from happening,” he said.

Etter said that the Fire Department was notified about the fire at 10:17 p.m. and that firefighters were dispatched one minute after the call.

He added that emergency service providers were on the scene for about two hours. The fire was extinguished at approximately 11:30 p.m. and firefighters stayed at the scene to salvage remains from Paolo’s corporate offices.

As firefighters worked, the Metropolotian Police Department patrolled intersections near the area. Wisconsin Avenue was closed for several blocks north of M Street, but no other streets were shut down.

Several restaurant employees huddled together across the street from the fire, while some pedestrians settled into Martin’s, a restaurant across the street, to watch events unfold.

Paolo’s reopened Wednesday.

HOYA Staff Writer Robert Heberle contributed to this report.