Fire appears to have broken out inside Savon Shoes, a first-floor store on 13th Avenue at 39th Street in Borough Park just after 2 a.m. Monday.
The store had "a lot of stock, and the rear of the building didn't have any windows," FDNY Assistant Chef Kevin Brennan said, making it difficult for firefighters to put out the flames.
Fire spread to the second floor while heavy smoke spewed through the three-story building, forcing residents living above the store to flee.
Some residents reported smelling gas and hearing an explosion at the time of the fire.
No one was injured.
Twenty people, including 15 adults and five children, were displaced by the fire. Also displaced were five cats and two birds.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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