JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Vendors were allowed back in to the Pecan Park flea market Thursday morning to assess the damage done by a fire that ripped through the flea market Monday night.
B row -- the middle of the structure -- was destroyed, with the ceiling collapsed. Nothing but rubble remains of the booths inside.
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One of the vendors, Byron Deloatch, shot video Thursday of the burned-out booths and posted it on YouTube. Booths 90-92, which are shown in the video, were destroyed, he said.
He also posted a video of the same area before the fire. The bright colors of the Femi Holistic Booth and Curtis Company Grills have turned to a black and gray mess.
Another vendor, Danny Farmer, said the flea market still had no power Thursday. Managers plan to put up a fence to keep people out, and the city has to inspect the area before the flea market can reopen.
Farmer said his booth suffered no damage from fire or smoke.
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Other vendors, like Maria Moore and Dean Davis, weren't so lucky. Moore's booth of clothes and jewelry is nothing but ashes, she said. Davis said the sharks teeth and artifacts he found diving were all lost in the fire.
Management is supposed to let the vendors know by 3 p.m. Friday if the flea market will be open Saturday for those who can sell.
Management had said earlier they planned to be open by Saturday and that vendors who were burned out would be given space on the lawn outside to sell from. But if repairmen find any electrical problems, that could delay reopening the facility.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the vendors get back on their feet. To donate, go to www.gofundme.com/rgd6eag.
AUDO: 911 call reports fire | IMAGES: Fire rages at flea market
After investigating the scene for two days, the fire marshal said Wednesday that the fire was likely not intentionally set.
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The investigation won't be finished until test results from samples of fire debris come back. The fire marshal is hoping those results will help investigators determine the cause of the fire, which they believe started in the kitchen-cafeteria area of the flea market.
It took about 100 Jacksonville firefighters, 15 fire engines and six ladder trucks about two hours to get the raging fire under control. The flames -- some said 300 feet tall -- could be seen from Interstate 95, where motorists calling 911 sent first word of the fire.
The 30-year-old flea market is home to about 750 storefronts that sell clothes, food, antiques and more.
Some vendors said they had between $10,000 and $20,000 worth of merchandise in their booths. Some of the vendors are retirees who had invested their future in the businesses, and most had no insurance.
This is not the first time that a fire has destroyed the flea market. On Sept. 25, 2006, 200 stores were damaged when another blaze ripped through the Northside flea market.