Washington - D.C. firefighters battled a two-alarm fire at the Ristorante Piccolo restaurant in Georgetown.

Deputy Fire Chief Ken Crosswhite says the blaze was reported at 5:16 a.m. in the 1000 block of 31st Street, a 2 1/2 story wood frame end unit.

Crosswhite says the fire was contained to the single building. No injuries have been reported. He says damage to the building is "pretty significant."

D.C. fire department spokesman Alan Etter says the building appears to be a total loss and estimates the damage at around $1 million.

The Ristorante Piccolo was a once-cozy Italian restaurant in the heart of Georgetown which has been operating in that location since 1986.

Neighborhood resident Jay Harter said, "I just woke up and heard people screaming. It's sad to see a good neighborhood restaurant gone... god bless the DC Fire Department for being here and doing their job."

Within moments of passers-by reporting smoke from the building's basement, fast-moving flames engulfed the building. Fire officials believe the blaze broke out in the basement shortly after 5:00 a.m. and spread quickly through the building.

Despite recent maintenance on the D.C. fire hydrants, the fire was too powerful for the firefighters to stop before it destroyed the building.

Altogether 110 firefighters worked on the fire. The department's rush was not just to contain the fire, but also to wrap things up as quickly and safely as possible in order reopen M Street for Monday morning traffic.

Police and rescue vehicles blocked M Street from Wisconsin Avenue to 30th Street until around 8:30 Monday morning.