Fire ripped through a strip mall at McKinley and First in Fresno early Tuesday morning.
The fire was already coming through the roof when firefighters arrived and spread very quickly.
Fire crews called for backup to help fight the blaze but the building began to collapse, so crews could only contain it.
Kris Townsend with the Fresno Fire Department said crews had to pull back and allow truck-mounted sprayers to knock down the flames for safety reasons.
Four businesses were lost in the building that was destroyed by the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.