SINGAPORE - A fire broke out in the exhaust duct of Italian eatery Spizza in Balmoral Plaza during lunch time on Thursday (Dec 31), but no one was hurt.

Teachers in the tuition centre next door, Novel Learning Centre, noticed smoke coming into the classroom through the false ceiling and called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Centre manager Veron Tay said they traced the smoke to the back of the building where the exhaust is located , and saw flames that were "three floors high".

Her boss used four fire extinguishers to try and put out the fire, while other staff evacuated the 30 students.

"Smoke has come into our classroom two or three times this year, but there wasn't a fire," said Ms Tay, who is in her early 30s. She said the centre sent an email to the SCDF previously to inform them about the matter.

The SCDF said it received a call about the fire at 1.20pm, and sent two fire engines, one ambulance, two red rhinos and six support vehicles to the building at 271 Bukit Timah Road. Officers extinguished the fire using one water jet.

"The patrons self-evacuated before the SCDF arrived. There were no injuries," said an SCDF spokesman.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.