0Hales Restaurant still bustled with visitors Friday morning, but the wait staff wasnt serving customers. Instead, the customers offered to help the staff, who spent much of the morning regrouping after an early morning fire destroyed a large part of the business.

The fire broke out after 2 a.m. Friday morning. Hermiston Assistant Fire Chief Scott Stanton said firefighters arrived after 2:30 a.m. and contained the blaze in about 40 minutes.

Fire Marshal Tom Bohm said the fire started after something left on a burning cooking surface ignited.

The extinguishing system went off, but it still got into the attic, Bohm said.

Flames tore up the restaurants kitchen and attic, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage, Stanton said. The business is closed until further notice.

Mid-Friday morning, water was still pooled on the floor of the kitchen, and debris from the fire was strewn in the routine path of kitchen staff. The fire burned a hole in the ceiling, revealing where flames had traveled to the attic.

At the time, Hales co-owners Dana Bonney and her husband, Ford Bonney, sat in a corner booth at the restaurant, with the front door open, surrounded by employees whom they consider as close as family. Talk had already begun about ways to keep their staff employed while they rebuild.

Its kind of our family and our life, Dana Bonney said of the business.

She said about 10 people had stopped by the restaurant before 11 a.m. to offer well wishes and offer their help, like Steve Cranston of Stanfield.

Cranston, 43, a regular at the restaurant for about 20 years, said he is willing to help the Bonneys any way he can.

The Bonney familys been in the area for a long time, Cranston said. Those are important figures They need some support.

O So Kleen, a local carpet-leaning and water and fire restoration company, also helped clean up parts of the restaurant.

Its been great, co-owner Ford Bonney said of the support. Everybodys really super here. There are a lot of people that have got it worse.

He said he first learned of the fire when his daughter came over to tell him the news Friday morning. Ford Bonney praised fire crews for their quick action to extinguish the blaze.

They had the whole street blocked off, he said. They were worried about the whole downtown area.

Dana Bonney said she initially thought the business had only sustained smoke damage.

The Bonneys are optimistic, however, the business wont be closed for long. They are waiting to have the damage assessed before they estimate when the restaurant will reopen.