A four-alarm fire overnight Tuesday destroyed two businesses in Brookline and put a crimp in two others before it was brought under control.

"I'm lucky, man," said Kaywan Ullah, owner of Payless Food Mart, a small grocery next to the buildings that burned. "But it's still going to affect my business."

The grocery opened about two months ago.

The fire appeared to have started in the basement below Wanna Be Tan Too at 940 Brookline Blvd. A tenant told fire officials she was cooking when a grease fire started in the kitchen of her basement apartment.

The tanning salon and Wannabe Tees occupied the first floors at 940 and 942 Brookline Blvd. Apartments were in the basement and on the second floors of the two-story buildings.

None of the tenants was injured.

The American Red Cross provided food, shelter and clothing assistance for a family of four, including three children, and one other single adult, a spokesman said.

One Pittsburgh firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, fire Capt. David Lewis said.

The fire was reported at 11:08 p.m. Tuesday, with people possibly trapped inside some of the apartments, Capt. Lewis said.

The buildings had been evacuated by the time firefighters arrived from their station two blocks away.

By 5 a.m. yesterday the fire was under control, despite firefighters dealing with problems of low water pressure.

Firefighters used the adjacent three-story buildings to apply water to the blaze.

The Payless Food Mart sustained only minor smoke damage. Mr. Ullah's inventory remained intact. His phone lines still were not working this morning, making it impossible to do business with credit cards or debit cards, he said.

A. Boss Opticians in the building on the other side of the fire fared a bit worse. There were no phones or electricity there, said employee Ellen Pearson, but the shop remained open for small purchases.

The owner of Chuong Cleaners, two doors down from the fire, said he arrived shortly afterward to shutter his business. His actions protected his inventory, including the band uniforms that had been cleaned for Brashear High School.

At Wanna Be Tees, all was lost, including a stock of school uniforms used mostly at Seton-LaSalle High School.

Michelle Tegtmeier, owner of Wanna Be Tan Too, said she lost 10 tanning beds valued at about $5,000 each and thousands of dollars worth of lotions and other items. The salon has been in business for 18 years, though Mrs. Tegtmeier bought it only six months ago.

"This is not good. I have a family, four kids," she said. "That was their safety net."

She said she plans to reopen the business elsewhere on Brookline Boulevard.