With widespread power outages and vehicle travel into the city of Lawrence restricted in the wake of a series of devastating fires, tenants at commercial properties were making alternate arrangements to keep their businesses up and running.

“It’s worse than the Malden Mills fire,” said Joseph Bevilacqua, CEO of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, referring to the 1995 blaze that destroyed the massive Lawrence textile factory. “But Malden Mills rebuilt, and I’m confident the cities will rebuild too.”

Businesses in North Lawrence, including the chamber’s offices on Essex Street, were open Friday morning but the southern side of the city remained without electricity, Bevilacqua said.

Natural gas-fueled explosions and fires ripped through more than 60 buildings in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover Thursday evening, killing one Lawrence resident and injuring 25 people. State Police shut down exits from I-93 and I-495 into the city of Lawrence.

Northern Essex Community College on Thursday evening said all of its classes were cancelled at its Lawrence campus at the 3.6-million-square-foot Riverwalk complex. Both the Riverwalk and Haverhill campuses were closed Friday, spokeswoman Ernie Greenslade said. Lawrence-based Lupoli Cos. redeveloped the vacant mill complex into office and retail space that has attracted more than 200 tenants over the past 14 years.

Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all state offices in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover closed and directed all non-emergency executive employees in those communities not to report to work today, including MassDevelopment’s regional office at Riverwalk.

Cube 3 Architects, a tenant at Riverwalk, tweeted Friday morning that its offices were closed and directed clients to contact employees on their cell phones.

“The businesses will reopen as soon as possible. It was a dramatic night, but it did prove the cities and towns have come together so well,” Bevilacqua said. “It was something no one expected.”

The Chamber has established a relief fund and asked that donations be sent to its offices at 264 Essex St. in Lawrence.