No signs of foul play surface from flea market fire

The Webb Road Flea Market was destroyed by fire on Friday morning. Emergancy personnel from Rowan and Cabarrus counties worked to control the fire and scene during rush hour along I-85. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Spectators watch the 3-alarm-fire at the Webb Road Flea Market on Friday morning. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Firefighters responded to a 3-alarm-fire at the Webb Road Flea Market on Friday morning. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Firefighters responded to a 3-alarm-fire at the Webb Road Flea Market on Friday morning. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Locke Firefighter Terri Welch puts an intake hose into the drop tank set up on the I-85 northbound exit ramp. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Firefighters responded to a 3-alarm-fire at the Webb Road Flea Market on Friday morning. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Firefighters responded to a 3-alarm-fire at the Webb Road Flea Market on Friday morning. Firefighters worked to set up a drop tank for water supply on the northbound off-ramp to Webb Road.Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

The smoke could be seen for miles, especially along I-85. Photo by Shelley Smith, Salisbury Post.

Firefighters pour water onto the burning buildings at Webb Road Flea Market. Photo by Shelley Smith, Salisbury Post.

Fire at Webb Road Flea Market. Photo by Hugh Fisher.

Webb Road Flea Market fire seen from a cellphone tower near the site. Photo by Brandon Dudley.

The plume of smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Photo by Brandon Dudley.

By Shelley Smith

ssmith@salisburypost.com

Authorities say they don’t suspect foul play in the three-alarm fire that destroyed the Webb Road Flea Market on Friday morning. Investigators will likely release the cause of the fire Tuesday.

And emergency officials say a plan already in place for battling a blaze at the sprawling market just off Interstate 85 helped the more than 100 firefighters from 18 agencies coordinate their efforts.

The fire started early. Numerous callers reported it to 911 around 7:30 a.m.

Flea market caretaker Bobby “Buddy” Johnson reported seeing smoke as he opened the facility for vendors setting up for the holiday weekend.

Johnson told authorities the fire began in a building southwest of the entrance to the flea market and that he heard a small explosion and saw flames shooting from the building.

The flames raced through a hodgepodge of wood and tin structures — some enclosed, some open and many containing vendors’ merchandise — said Frank Thomason, chief of Rowan County Emergency Services.

“Because of the type of construction, it just really took off,” Thomason said.

Bostian Heights firefighters arrived first on scene at 7:40 a.m. They found the market in flames.

“The fire had a good head start on us,” said Mike Zimmerman, chief of the Bostian Heights Fire Department. “Probably three quarters of this thing was on fire when we got here.”

“All you could do was contain it,” Thomason said.

Before firefighters could put out the flames, all but two small buildings burned to the ground.

The fire crackled and roared over the noise made by passing traffic. People standing on Webb Road could feel its heat. A plume of black smoke could be seen all around Rowan and from as far away as Charlotte.

The 18 fire departments brought more than eight tankers of water as supplies at the scene dwindled. At one point, they pumped 4,000 gallons a minute on the flames.

The departments set up drop tanks on the northbound ramp to Webb Road and in the market’s parking lot. Three water points — two on U.S. 29 and one at Hurst Pond off Webb Road — remained in use until 2 p.m.

Along with the 100-plus firefighters, more than 80 others responded, including rescue and medical workers, Red Cross workers, N.C. Department of Transportation employees, N.C. Highway Patrol troopers, Rowan County deputies, Salisbury police officers and members of a state medical assistance team.

The Rowan Rescue Squad and state emergency medical team set up rehabilitation centers for firefighters to cool off and have vital signs checked. Officials reported no injuries.

Investigators with the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the SBI and Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at the flea market at 905 Webb Road most of Friday, leaving around 3 p.m.

Zimmerman, the Bostian Heights fire chief and commander for the operation, called Friday’s fire one of the biggest he’s ever had in the district. And he said it definitely took more water to douse than any other. Bostian Heights also used four ladder trucks, suppressing the flames from above.

A fire survey plan, Thomason said, had already been in place for the Webb Road Flea Market, and firefighters and responders knew exactly how to respond.

“By having that plan in place, everyone knows what their responsibilities and their roles are, and are able to manage those large-scale incidents better,” he said. “For the size of the fire, number of agencies and number of personnel on the scene, everyone worked together extremely well.”

With most of Rowan’s fire departments responding to the flea market, agencies from Iredell County responded to man the empty firehouses.

Meanwhile, vendors could only stand by and watch. Many lost thousands of dollars worth of goods.

David Lore owned Pet Place, a six-year operation selling pets at the flea market in a building outside the main hall. About 1,000 animals inside survived, he said, but a couple of small birds died.

Motorists stopped on both the northbound and southbound ramps of I-85, looking on in shock, some snapping photos.

Thomason said the Transportation Department and the Highway Patrol played a “key role” Friday.

“Those two agencies really helped us a tremendous amount because of the site of the location on the interstate,” he said. “We had to very quickly close down Webb Road and some of the on and off ramps — not only because of a hazard standpoint, but safety for the responders.”

The Post reached Libby Stephens of Morganton, who owns the flea market with her husband Christopher, by cell phone Friday just after 4 p.m. Stephens said they had been to Rowan County but didn’t want to talk further because she was driving in heavy traffic.

County records set the tax value of the buildings at the flea market, a nearly 15-acre complex, at $908,678.

“The sad part of course is the loss of the facility and loss of the buildings, which is very unfortunate for the community,” Thomason said. “But at the same time, even though it was a major fire, there were no injuries.”

Deirdre Parker-Smith and Scott Jenkins contributed.

Contact Shelley Smith at 704-797-4246.