Billy Wong had few words to describe his mood Thursday afternoon as he stood outside the darkened, smoky building that houses his wife’s beauty salon.

A grease fire had erupted that morning in a restaurant one floor below, and the damage to the salon would take weeks to repair, Wong said.

“It’s already happened,” Wong said. “What can we do?”

A two-alarm blaze erupted Thursday morning in the four-story Chinatown building, causing an estimated $300,000 in damage to several properties on Tyler Street and sending a firefighter to the hospital, the Boston Fire Department reported.

The injured firefighter, who was not identified by authorities, was treated and released from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary after glass hit his eye, said Lieutenant Michael Walsh, a Fire Department spokesman.

No other injuries were reported in the fire, which was reported about 9:45 a.m. Fire officials ruled it an accident.

The blaze affected two dozen residents and seven businesses on a narrow street that includes closely packed Asian restaurants, authorities said. The residents were expected to return to their apartments.

The fire reportedly broke out in the kitchen of the GaGa Seafood Restaurant and spread through the building’s ducts. Walsh said firefighters managed to contain the flames quickly before the fire became more destructive.

“They did a pretty good job, to say the least, to knock it down as quickly as they did,” Walsh said.

Firefighters cut a hole in the building’s roof to let heat and smoke escape, and several windows were also removed.

Several steps above street level, the seafood restaurant remained dark Thursday afternoon and smelled strongly of smoke. Puddles of water remained visible.

Outside, passersby stared up at the open windows as business owners talked with insurance agents and cleaning crews entered and left.

While the fire itself was small, the damage left behind was significant, said Jonathan Barber, a supervisor with ServiceMaster by Gilmore, a restoration service working in some of the affected units.

“There was an extensive amount of water in the kitchen and a unit above the kitchen,” Barber said.

Damage appeared to be concentrated in the restaurant and two beauty salons above and below.

Officials did not find fire code violations, Walsh said.

The restaurant’s owner and other affected businesses expected to reopen, said Jeffrey Winnick, who was at the scene representing Swerling Milton Winnick, a public insurance adjusters agency.

“It’s an unfortunate incident, but the businesses expect a full recovery,” Winnick said.