Troubled Burnside Restaurant Destroyed In Early Morning Blaze

CHICAGO — An early Monday fire destroyed a Burnside neighborhood nightspot that has drawn ire from neighbors in recent months and a long list of code violations.

Around 5:40 a.m., firefighters responded to reports of a fire at Nipsey's, 9156 S. Stony Island Ave.

Flames burned through the roof, which collapsed. No one was injured in the blaze, which took firefighters an hour to extinguish, fire department spokesman Larry Merritt said.

Nipsey's owners have faced complaints from neighbors and criticism from Ald. Michelle Harris's office since November. Block Club Chicago first reported that neighbors had filed complaints about illegal parking, late-night noise and patrons urinating on their property, among other things. Between December and February, city inspectors have cited Nipsey's with 13 code violations.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Merritt said.

In an Instagram post, Teddy Gilmore, managing partner of Eat & Drink Too Consulting Group, said news of the fire was a devastating blow to Nipsey's management team.

"We are heartbroken, distraught and beyond saddened to learn of a fire that happened at Nipsey’s Restaurant & Lounge early Monday morning," the post read. "We are grateful that our staff and our community are safe. We appreciate those of you who 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 affected by this devastating news."