A Wednesday morning fire caused an Iowa City late-night Greek-American restaurant to close suddenly.

According to Iowa City Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Greer, a small kitchen fire began in Mega Bite at the Towers apartment complex at 335 S. Gilbert St. at approximately 10:08 a.m.

The cause is currently under investigation but was believed to derive from a small under-the-counter appliance in the kitchen.

“We’re really grateful the sprinkler system was in place,” Greer said. “It took less than 15 minutes for the fire to be out.”

The building, owned by Michael’s Properties, which owns several other buildings downtown, is worth well over $4 million and the damage was mostly contained to Mega Bite, Greer said. He estimated that total assessed damage is around $40,000, half in structural damage and another $20,000 in restaurant contents, including cooking equipment and televisions.

Minor water and smoke damage resulted in the apartments on the first floor as well.

— by Quentin Misiag