Dozens of patrons were forced out onto the rainy streets outside Brown Sugar Café at about 8:05 p.m. Monday after being evacuated because of a fire in the restaurant’s Commonwealth Avenue building.

Smoke billowed out of the Thai restaurant as firefighters came to the scene and evacuated occupants of neighboring buildings. Nine Boston Fire Department trucks responded to the blaze, including two ladder trucks.

Boston Fire Department officials could not be reached for comment Monday night.

Firefighters pried open the door at neighboring TR Productions before going inside Brown Sugar Café.

Eyewitnesses inside the restaurant said the smoke seemed to appear out of nowhere.

‘It was the fastest smoke you’ve ever seen,’ said restaurant employee Gib Pornkitt, 25, of Malden. ‘It filled the room in under 30 seconds.’

After firefighters entered the smoke-filled building, they proceeded to smash out all the restaurant’s windows as the employees and owners looked on. Pornkitt was worried that he, along with his other employees, would be out of a job for a while.

‘A lot of people are going to be out of jobs tonight,’ Pornkitt said. ‘We don’t care about the building we feel sad for the people.’

Smoke continued to come out of the building for more than half an hour after the blaze started. Boston Police officers blocked westbound traffic on Commonwealth Avenue between Babcock and Alcorn streets, turning both vehicles and pedestrians away.