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Fire caused the ceiling to collapse and air conditioning units to fall through the roof into The Grill and the Red Room, in the 100 block of East Congress Street. Both businesses closed in 2011.

A chandelier was in a trash can in front of the former restaurant Tuesday afternoon. Chain-link fences also were going up around the building, and the windows were to be boarded up.

The businesses on either side in the same building, Wig-O-Rama and Voodoo Jack's, may have smoke and water damage, but a fire wall separated the fire from Voodoo Jack's, said ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Fire Capt. Barrett Baker.

A window display of wigs in all colors appeared to be untouched.

It will be up to city building safety officials to determine how much of the building can be saved.

When firefighters arrived around 3:30 a.m., they started fighting the fire on the second floor and planned to cut a hole in the roof, but the roof was unsafe and the attic was on fire, Baker said. So firefighters changed their strategy to fight the fire from outside and above, he said.

More than 40 firefighters worked on the fire, he said.

Heavy damage meant the investigation into the cause of the fire was slow going. An initial estimate on the damage was $750,000.

Eleni Vlastaris stopped by the building to see the extent of the damage.

"It's horrible," she said.

Her grandparents owned the building when the restaurant was called The Stag, and they sold it in 1998.

"My grandma worked the grill every day," she said. "I'd sit there and color and run around and watch her cook burgers."

Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 573-4346. On Twitter @BeckyPallack