Investigators are trying to determine what sparked a massive fire in Queens they say destroyed more than a dozen businesses Friday night.

Nearly 200 firefighters spent about six hours bringing the flames under control around 6:30 p.m. on Vleigh Place between 77th Road and 78th Ave. in Kew Gardens Hills.

A pizzeria, a laundromat, and a law office were among the 14 small businesses that the five-alarm fire gutted.

The fire began in a shop at the center of a strip of businesses.

"It's a holiday weekend, and 14 people lose their business. Sometimes that's lost in the excitement of the fire," said FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard. "But 14 people — think about all these business owners, people who work in these stores, and even the impact on the neighborhood."

"The first store used to be a candy store, and our parents used to take us there for hamburgers," said one local resident. "It's just a shame."

Firefighters and community members said that the timing of the blaze may have been life-saving. Since there are many Orthodox Jewish families in the neighborhood, businesses generally close before sundown Friday out of respect of those observing the Sabbath.

Only one of the 14 businesses was still open when the fire began, and no civilians were injured.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the city fire department, including one who fainted from carbon dioxide exposure and cut his head.

"The fire ultimately was up in the cockloft — that's the area between the roof and the ceiling — and in these older buildings, that's undivided, there is no fire stopping," said Edward Baggott, the city fire department's Queens borough commander. "The fire quickly spread."

"The firemen were here like, 1, 2, 3, and they were on the ball, and they were hacking with their axes to get in," one witness said. "They were great. They were on the rooftop, which is now all caved in, but they have to be the bravest people."

The row of business that the fire destroyed was the heart of the neighborhood, residents said.

They described it as a small town's main street, where shop owners know their customers' names, and children visit the candy store and pizzeria after school while their parents shop for groceries or get their hair cut.

"Everyone uses all of these shops. The candy store, his name is Jack so everyone knows him. You go in, you want to get a metro card, you want to get a drink; you go to the deli, you want to get a coffee," said a local resident.

"I've been here for 20 years now, and some of the businesses have changed, but this has always been a strip where you can run in and get little items and things," she added.

A dry cleaner's owner was on-site Saturday morning to observe the shell of his store, which he said he has owned for more than ten years.

He began to talk to NY1 about his business, but then became emotional and had to step away.

Shopkeepers and residents said this was a heartbreaking end to 2016.