It started around noon on Poplar Avenue near Addison Street.
The fire department tells ABC7 five buildings burned including two homes, two apartment buildings and a building that's under construction.
SKY7 was over the scene as smoke billowed into the air.
As many as 18 people have been displaced -- fortunately no one was seriously injured.
Neighbors say they heard an explosion right before the fire started.
"I was minding my own business and I heard this big old boom. My grandma came up to me, 'there's a fire,' she said grab all the important stuff. So I run inside the building, the first thing I got was documents, my pets," said Rafael Mandojalingo, a witness.
Fire crews will remain on the scene this evening to make it's safe.