A fire in the Cascade Gardens Restaurant on Gilman Boulevard which called Eastside Fire and Rescue units to the scene at 2 a.m. this morning was likely started by a build up of grease in a cooking unit.

EFR units responded to reports of 4 to 6 foot flames emerging from the roof of the restaurant. However, according to EFR Deputy Chief of Operations Jeff Griffin, who was at the scene this morning, the fire was in fact contained to the chimney stack attached to the top of the cooking unit.

Griffin said although the last person left the restaurant at 10 p.m., almost four hours before the fire took hold, grease and oil could retain heat over long periods.

“Once that ignites, it makes a pretty fierce fire,” he said.

Griffin said that although restaurants regularly clean out their oil cookers, it does not take long for grease to build up.

The King County Fire Marshall’s Office examined the scene and will conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire.

No one was injured in the fire.