The fire started in the basement of a Texas Chicken and Pizza restaurant located at 64-01 Broadway in Woodside, just after midnight and triggered a second alarm several minutes later.
The fire destroyed the store and spread to two other attached businesses including a barbershop and wine and liquor store.
"I was just walking down the street and I saw the fire, then I got scared and called 911," a witness said.
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It appeared that the building also housed several residential apartments above the businesses and people were forced out of their homes.
It's not clear how many people lived there.
People at a nearby lounge described what happened.
"We were in the lounge and we heard a big noise," one man said. "It was a fire truck and everything and we came out and saw the place burning. This is a very busy intersection and a lot of traffic comes here because of the businesses around here so this will have a huge impact."
There were three minor injuries reported.
Over 100 firefighters worked to put out the fire, which was placed under control around 1:40 a.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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