Fire breaks out at Nipsey's Restaurant in Calumet Heights amid ongoing battle with city
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Investigators late Monday were combing through what was left of a popular South Side restaurant.
On Monday morning, a fire swept through Nipsey's Restaurant & Lounge, at 9156. S. Stony Island Ave. in the Calumet Heights community.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported, the fire came amid a push to shut the business down.
The front of the building was intact after the fire, but it was still a total loss. Fencing was put up outside the building as demolition crews arrived to tear it down for safety reasons.
The roof caved in after the fire.
Many in the community are sad to see the iconic building go, but not the business, that was inside it.
Chicago Fire Department crews battled the early-morning extra-alarm fire at the restaurant after it caught fire on multiple sides. The Illinois Fire Marshal Arson Investigation unit was among those on the scene, looking into the cause of the fire.
The building had once been home to the iconic Tropical Hut and was also a Leona's restaurant in the past.
Ald. Michele Harris said the most recent business in the building, Nipsey's, opened about two years ago. She said customers created a lot of problems for many in the community.
"They drink. They leave their trash. They have shot up an entire block. They're fighting," Harris said.
Video posted to social media showed a fight inside Nipsey's just this past the weekend, right before the fire.
"It's been chaos since day one," said area resident Felicia Fleming. "There's been fights, people urinating on our properties, throwing trash, shootouts."
Fleming lives right behind the restaurant and lounge.
"Every Friday and Saturday, we're just literally holding our breaths and just, you know, try to take it one day at a time - and hopefully, every other weekend, it gets better," she said, "but it never got better."
The city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has held numerous hearings about the restaurant. The most recent was just last week.
In the past, the business has been cited for exceeding occupancy limits, failing to keep a record and call police about illegal activity, and failing to display a sign telling patrons to respect neighbors, exit quietly, and not to loiter.
"We're in mourning about losing our building," Harris said. "The community has worked with me, and we've fought hard - tremendously hard - to eliminate the business and not necessarily the elimination of a building icon in our community."
The next administrative hearing involving Nipsey's is on March 11. Ald. Harris says the business owner may be asked to surrender his business license at that time.
Reached by phone, the owner said he is devastated about the fire. He was out of town Monday and was heading back to Chicago to see the damage firsthand.
Late Monday, Nipsey's also put out this statement:
"We are heartbroken, distraught, and beyond saddened to learn of a fire that happened at Nipsey's Restaurant & Lounge early Monday morning. We are grateful that our staff and community area safe. We appreciate those of you that have reached out in support. Right now, we're just trying to understand what happened and what the next steps are. Our thoughts are with all of our team members and all who are directly impacted by this devastating news."
