Carlos Velila called the Waterloo Fire Department just before 2 a.m. on Sunday morning when he noticed Benny’s Restaurant engulfed in flames. “The fire started out pretty small and then it significantly increased.”

Velila’s friend captured the entire scene on his cellphone. “The first responders were excellent, came in really quickly. Police came first and then fire came and got it under control pretty quickly.”

17 firefighters from three station responded. It took crews 30 minutes to control the fire.

“The fire was contained to the roof area but there was some water and smoke damage to the below restaurant area”, says Waterloo Platoon Chief Will Hargott.

While crews battled the blaze from a far, a man emerged from inside. It was the restaurant’s owner. “He did come out of the building and realized what was going on, he wasn’t aware of it at the time”, says Hargott.

Early estimates peg the damage at $200,000. The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time. The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office is investigating. It will likely take a few days before investigators can pinpoint the source of the fire.

With its slogan of “Where good friends & family meet”, the popular breakfast spot was closed on Sunday morning. It is not known when it will re-open.