Popular eatery Thel's Cafe in Somerset is assessing the damage today after a fire broke out in the storage room last night.

Three fire appliances attended the blaze, and managed to bring it under control within about 20 minutes.

Firefighter Lt. Dana Lovell said the fire was reported by a passer-by at about 6.39 p.m. and the first fire engine was on the scene in Main Road, Somerset, within seven minutes.

He said both himself and colleague Lt. Ronnie Aguiar were both investigating the cause of the fire, but said it was too early to say last night what they believed had started it.

He said: "The fire was near the kitchen in the storage room. I would say a rough estimate would maybe be $10,000 worth of damage. The kitchen is in good shape, but there's a lot of smoke damage to the actual dining area, and the storage room is in pretty bad shape.

"We are in the process of sifting through for information to assist us to find what caused the fire."

Nobody was hurt in the blaze, but Lt. Lovell said the passer-by who reported the incident should be praised. The cafe has been undergoing a re-vamp this week and so was closed, but now will not be open to the public for a further few days. Anyone with information should call Bermuda Fire Service on 292-5555.