Fire damages four businesses on Chicago's West Side

More than 100 Chicago firefighters battled an early-morning blaze in the Austin neighborhood on Friday, trying to save four businesses affected.

Multiple small businesses here boarded up after the fire in the 5600 block of West Division Street, and owners were left wondering how they'll begin to scratch the surface of rebuilding after the intense fire.

Jackie Williams, the co-owner of Montana's Smoke Shop, sat on a bench across the street after the blaze, monitoring what would become of their family-owned business.

"We were just devastated to get a call that it might be on fire," she said.

Her sister called with the news Friday morning, and Williams ran right over.

"I'm only like 10 minutes away, so I got here in 5 minutes," she said.

Williams arrived to find the business' windows shattered, after the roof of nearby restaurant Jay's Backyard BBQ collapsed in the blaze.

"Because the fire was so enormous, they had to go in there to make sure it didn't come through the walls," she said. "They came through the back, they came through the front, they knocked all our windows, our shutters, everything down."

The Chicago Fire Department said an employee was in the restaurant's kitchen when the fire broke out. CFD said the employee who called 9-1-1 was safely evacuated, and firefighters responded. 

In addition to the damage at Jay's Backyard BBQ and Montana's Smoke Shop, a hair salon, and a fourth business with both a seafood and fried chicken restaurant and convenience store were significantly damaged in the fire

For Williams, the prospect of rebuilding Montana's Smoke Shop is uncertain.

"I don't even know, because we had the shutters that comes down, and that alone is $7,000 to $10,000," Williams said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Friday afternoon. Despite all the damage caused, no injuries were reported.