Cafe Book owner Peter Clark watched on nervously from Auburn St on Monday night as the adjoining structure burnt. "I'm a bit nervous," he said.

Staff alerted him to the blaze and he drove from his Roslyn home.

In the end the cafe suffered smoke damage, but it means a two-week closure and a massive clean-up for Mr Clark and his four staff.

Nearby, First Inland City Newsagency was not damaged, but yesterday the business was closed along with others in the exclusion zone.

Also watching from Auburn St on Monday night, Auburn Mane Designs owner Danielle Connell said she was relieved.

"They (firies) went through the salon and checked that everything was okay. They also checked upstairs, but the tenant wasn't there," she said.

Electricity was cut to the area during the fires, forcing the Paragon restaurant to close early.

The Auburn St block between Verner and Montague St remained closed until mid morning yesterday and a line of businesses were fenced off to allow investigations.

Residents in the immediate area were evacuated during the fire emergency and not allowed to return to their homes until late yesterday afternoon.