More than a dozen people displaced after fire burns 5 buildings in Redwood City, officials say

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- An investigation is underway in Redwood City into what may have sparked a massive fire on Tuesday.

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.