Photo/Sean McCoy

Black smoke billowed over the University at about 9 p.m. Thursday as firefighters struggled to contain a blaze that erupted at the abandoned Nostalgia Restaurant and Jazz Bar at Seven Corners. No injuries had been reported, said Fire Chief Bonnie Blegjachek. The restaurant was vacant, but people were evacuated from the Theatre in the Round next door. The restaurant, located on the 200 block of Cedar Avenue, was abandoned about three years ago, said Dan Dahlstrom, the bouncer and manager at Bullwinkle’s Saloon. An ownership dispute had plagued the restaurant with problems, he said. Arson inspectors were on the scene as firefighters extinguished the last flames near the rear of the building. The front of the building was blackened, and firefighters said the building had sustained heavy damage inside. The Theatre in the Round, located next to the restaurant, might also have sustained damage, Blegjachek said.
— Tammy J. Oseid