Basha Restaurant Shows Soot, Debris From Monday Fire

A disaster restoration team was camped in front of Basha Middle Eastern Grill in Skokie Monday afternoon.

A fire broke out in the restaurant, at 3445 W. Dempster Street, some time around 6:30 a.m. Monday, and firefighters responded by 6:35 a.m. And had the fire under control by 7:00 a.m., according to a statement from Skokie Fire Department Deputy Chief Barry Liss.

Related: Skokie Fire Department Puts Out Restaurant Blaze; 29 Responders

A letter to customers taped in the window said the restaurant would be closed Sept. 23 to Oct. 4 for vacation. The owner of Gigi Salon next door confirmed that was the case.

A peek through the window showed that walls, floors, tables and chairs inside Basha Grill, which was closed, appeared to be intact. However, there was soot and debris present.

All the other businesses in the strip mall were able to open for business at their normal hours, the fire department said. A team from Laurens Disaster Restoration was wiping down every available surface at Gigi's Hair Salon, including walls, floors and ceiling tiles. The smell of smoke was nearly gone by afternoon.

A tutoring business in the strip mall was open for business, but a hair salon immediately to the west of Basha appeared to be closed.