One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Francis Medical Center as a precaution, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada said. Damage to the delicatessen was estimated at $80,000, while the home sustained an estimated $7,000 in damage, Tejada said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation last night.

Gulick Delicatessen has been at the same location for more than 50 years and is a popular stop for people looking for Japanese and other local food. The okazu-ya has been a consistent winner of The Advertiser's 'Ilima Awards, which honors Hawai'i's best eateries.

Tejada said the fire appeared to have started in a back shed where a gas-powered steam cleaner is housed. He said two workers reported smelling smoke and then saw the flames coming from the shed.

He said the neighborhood is congested with old, wooden homes and firefighters did a good job of preventing the blaze from spreading.

"The size of the fire is not that big, but because it's so close, it could have been trouble," Tejada said.

Co-owner Roy Makishi was watching TV in the house that was damaged and said he was not aware that there was a fire. He said a neighbor ran into the home and told him to get out.

"I couldn't hear nothing. I could have been trapped," he said.

Yesterday's fire was the first in the 50-plus years that the Makishi family has owned the business. His two sons recently took over operations at the deli.

"We've been lucky. In fact we're still lucky because there's not that much damage," Makishi said.