CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Several businesses were damaged from a fire in Chesapeake early Tuesday morning, according to officials.
A news release from the Chesapeake Fire Department said they received a fire alarm call at 3 a.m. at the Wilson Village Shopping Center.
That's located on Battlefield Blvd South near Mount Pleasant Road. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from the roof of the building.
The fire started in an electrical room at the back of the building, and it then expanded to the roof.
“That area services the laundromat," said Captain Steven Bradley with the Chesapeake Fire Department.
"So, that’s where the heaviest extent of the damage is but there’s smoke and water damage really to the laundromat and to the business right next door to it.”
Multiple crews worked to put out the flames, and they had to use tools to remove roof material and expose the fire. No one was hurt or in the building at the time of the fire. The fire was marked under control at 4:30 a.m.
The following businesses suffered damage from the fire and will be closed until they can make repairs:
- Laundry Place
- Court House Cafe
- Mr. Jim's
- Hair Kingdom
“It’s not the phone call you want to get in the morning hours," said Denise Query, the owner of Hair Kingdom. "It’s very frustrating and scary.”
Query said the Chesapeake Fire Department, along with the owner of Mister Jim's, alerted her of the fire early Tuesday morning. Luckily, her business had minimal damage.
“Mine is all smoke, smoke, smoke," she said. "So, it’s going to be okay.”
Multiple business owners on scene said this isn't the first time they got a call about a fire at the shopping center.
“Court House Cafe had a fire in 2008 which did do a tremendous amount of damage,” Bradley said.
The owner of Court House Café didn’t want to talk on camera but said this morning’s fire is eerily similar to the one about 14 years ago.
He said it took 100 days to re-open years ago, but he isn’t sure how long clean-up will take this time around.
“It’s very unfortunate that these businesses are suffering pretty much the same loss several years later,” Bradley said.
The owners of Laundry Place and Court House Cafe are unsure when they will reopen at this time. The owners of Hair Kingdom and Mister Jim's hope to re-open sometime this week.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.