A string of businesses is in shambles after a fire that started near Laundry Palace in Central Islip spread to other areas.

Suffolk County fire officials say they were notified of the fire around 2:15 p.m. at 18 E Suffolk Ave.

Officials say the fire started near the laundromat and spread through the rest of the buildings on the block.

“It’s old construction that we're dealing with here,” said Central Islip fire chief Joe Vereline. “And the biggest challenges is the volume of fire with the collapse that we're dealing with here.”

Fire officials say 300 firefighters from around 40 different departments finally put out the flames just before 8 p.m.

They say it’s the heat that made fighting this even harder.

“It's affecting us a lot,” Vereline said. “The guys are getting tired quickly. That's why we have so many departments here to assist us.”

Fire officials say five firefighters and one police officer had minor injuries

There’s still a lot of cleanup that needs to be done, and officials still have not said what started the fire.

Fire officials say the Central Islip Fire Department is the lead agency.