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Four Manhattan families were driven from their homes Thanksgiving night by a fire that spread into their apartments after igniting inside a West Side deli, officials and witnesses said. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the two-alarm blaze, which was sparked shortly before 5:30 p.m. at 888 10th Ave., officials said. "There was an explosion, and it came up to the second floor," said tenant Sonja Francis, who returned to the evacuated building near W. 58th St. hours after the blaze to retrieve her cats, Sofi and Shuggy. It took firefighters about two hours to bring the blaze under control, officials said. "It started behind the ovens in the deli," FDNY Deputy Chief John Acerno said at the scene. The Red Cross was helping the displaced tenants last night as fire marshals worked to pinpoint the cause of the blaze. Several residents said the deli had been closed for the holiday, but a contractor had been working inside during the day. "They cut the gas main sometime earlier in the day," said Gabriel Elie-Pierre, whose mother, Elena, lives in the building. "The crew had turned the gas back on, I know that."
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