Update: Early morning fire roars through vacant Concord restaurant building

CONCORD -- A spectacular early morning fire roared through the abandoned Imperial Seafood Restaurant building in Concord Friday, sending flames high into the sky and forcing firefighters to battle the flames from outside the structure.

Contra Costa County fire said the first calls reporting the 1-alarm blaze at the former dim sum restaurant located in the 1700 Block of Willow Pass Road at around 4 a.m.

Arriving crews found the boarded-up building in the small strip mall engulfed in flames. The building had already suffered heavy damage so firefighters were forced to abandon plans to fight the fire from inside the structure. Their efforts were focused on not allowing the flames to spread to other businesses.

 A hook and ladder truck dumped water on the blaze from above.  No injuries were reported. Crews were expected to be on scene for hours dousing out hot spots.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.