Kitchen Fire at Corky's Kitchen in Ladera Ranch

Mission Viejo, CA--A fire this morning at Corky's Kitchen in Ladera Ranch left diners racing outside with their breakfast.

The restaurant, located at the 2700 block of Antonio Parkway, was busy with breakfast rush.

"The small kitchen fire broke out at just before 10:45 a.m.," stated Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz. "There were diners inside, but everyone evacuated the building safely.

"Investigators suspected a natural gas leak in the gas trap behind the deep fryer," Kurtz said.

The OCFA firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. Structure damage was estimated at approximately $5,000 according to Kurtz. An estimate of the kitchen contents were lost is unknown at this time.