Heavy fire damaged storefronts between Taproot Theatre and Greenwood Academy of Hair early morning Friday, Oct. 23. No serious injuries have been reported.

The call came in at about 4 a.m. with reports of smoke in the area around 208 N. 85th St., said Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen.

Pho Tic Tac, Green Bean, C.C.Teriyaki Wok, Szechuan Bistro were among the businesses to receive serious damage from the three-alarm fire.

About 100 firefighters battled the blaze for nearly 2.5 hours, said Vander Houwen. The blaze was so intense that the firefighters had to fight it "defensively" outside of the buildings, said Vander Houwen.

Vander Houwen said the most damage was to the businesses between Taproot Theatre and the Greenwood Academy of Hair. Those two businesses received only smoke and water damage.

Except for a firefighter's injured ankle, there were no injuries caused by the blaze.

Owner of a business next to Taproot told another observer that firefighters rushed in with fire axes and believed they were tearing down the wall between Taproot and his business.

At this point the cause of the fire is unknown, said Vander Houwen. The buildings need to be secured before firefighters can enter and begin assessing the damage and the cause of the fire.

Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the day Oct. 23 to watch for smoldering hot spots, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Due to the instability of the structure where the fire occurred, it may take fire investigators several days to determine the cause of the fire.

Information can also be found on the fire department's Web site.