FAIR OAKS (CBS13) – A fire set off the sprinkler system and flooded a popular restaurant in Fair Oaks early Saturday morning.

Fire fighters arrived to find a section of Mikuni Sushi restaurant on fire. Luckily, the building sprinklers systems had gone off and contained the fire. However, the restaurant sustained significant water damage.

Three Sac Metro Fire engines and 17 fire fighters battled the blaze which caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the building.

Fire fighters say the fire started in the restaurant’s heating and air condition system and could have been much worse.

“It’s still under investigation. We know where it started, but how it started is still under investigation,” said Michelle Eidem of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department. The sprinkler system did exactly what it was supposed to do. It contained the fire to a small area up in the attic. So when our crews got here there was light smoke inside but the fire was contained and they could quickly put the fire out.

No one was in the building when the fire started, But Mikuni owner Taro Arai says his employees, customers and profit will suffer.

“It feels like my house caught on fire,” said Taro of the restaurant that has been at the Fair Oaks location for 25 years. “I’m more worried about, not about building, but employees, their loss of wages.”

Thousands of reservations are being canceled while the restaurant is closed for repairs. Taro says he expects to lose at least $100,000 in profit.

More than 100 Mikuni employees will be out of work until repairs can be made and the doors open once again.

Taro sent out a tweet Saturday afternoon saying “To all of our Fair Oak regulars, it may not be the same, but all of our other Sacramento Mikuni locations will take good care of you!”