Flames first broke out in a building in the 5300-block of South Laflin. The Chicago Fire Department said the fire began in the rear of the building.
The blaze then quickly spread to a second building next door. A third building was saved with what the fire department calls a "water curtain."
No one was injured in the fire. It was struck out by evening.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
A Chicago Fire Department vehicle on the way to the blaze was involved in a chain reaction crash in Bronzeville.