CARROLL COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Parts of a well known flee market in Carroll County burned to the ground Sunday.
It started around 4:30 a.m. at the West Georgia Flee Market on Highway 27. When firefighters arrived, they immediately called for backup.
It took four agencies to get it under control, but not before it burned two buildings all the way to the ground.
To say this fire was big would be an understatement.
Carroll County Fire Chief Tracy Smith said the fire was massive and they immediately went into a defensive mode. "You probably had flames 30 to 40 feet in the air when crews first arrived," said Smith.
It was not the scene venders wanted to see on their way in to work.
James Johnson sold electronics there. "We seen it all in flames. We're just shocked. We couldn't believe it," said Johnson.
Once the fire was out there wasn't much left.
Keith Causey lost his antique music shop. "Everything we had in there was destroyed. We probably had $5,000 to $10,000 worth of merchandise in there," said Causey.
For others it was even more. "Flee market been going good for us then all of a sudden you're livelihood is just gone," said Johnson.
But vendors said they won't let the fire break them. "You take a loss. You either gain or lose. Only thing you can do is start all over again," said Johnson.
As devastating as the fire was, vendors said they were grateful to the firefighters for saving the rest of the flee market.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
