Cleanup is now underway as business owners are tasked with rebuilding.
"I just saw a lot of smoke and chaos," said witness Deaysia Powell.
Powell says she was on her way home when she came across a massive fire on Division and Central in the Austin neighborhood.
Chopper 7 was over the scene, where flames could be seen shooting from the roof.
"I saw that it was Jay's BBQ on fire, and I was so sad about it. I'm like, everybody comes here," Powell said.
Those who live in the area say fire and smoke began spreading to other businesses nextdoor.
Flames shoot from roof as Austin fire rages
"I turned, and there was thick black smoke, and you couldn't even see the fire truck," said witness Jawan Stockdale.
The fire prompted a major response from the Chicago Fire Department just before 6:30 a.m.
Approximately 100 firefighters were at the scene. Firefighters were on ladders as they dowsed the flames with water.
CFD said there were no reports of injuries.
"They found smoke showing, there was a worker inside the building, told them there was a fire in the kitchen area," said Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Raul Ochoa. "The roof collapsed in. There were no injuries. We had no injuries to our fire personnel. The only occupant inside the structure was the one worker, who was accounted for and well."
Community members say they are heartbroken that their beloved neighborhood businesses went up in flames and are hopeful they will rebuild.
"It was devastating. These businesses get a lot of traffic, especially the BBQ joint," Stockdale said.
Firefighters have since cleared the area and reopened Central and Division for traffic to get by.