According to a report from Local10, Lauderhill (FL) Fire Department (LFD) crews responded to a fire at the Swap Shop, located at 3291 W. Sunrise Boulevard, at around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
LFD Deputy Chief Jeffrey Levy said they received the call for fire after multiple people witnessed heavy smoke coming from the Swap Shop.
On arrival, Levy said LFD crews arrived to find multiple containers outside the flea market area on fire, with flames spreading to a canopy. He said that crews were able to get into the containers within 15-20 minutes and extinguish the fire to prevent further spread to other areas.
According to Levy, the containers are rented out by the owners of the varying booths at the market. Officials initially thought that something inside a container erupted. Three interconnected containers were burned, which had sufficient materials, such as clothing, inside them.
Flea market security members as well as responding police officers reported hearing explosions, believing them to be fireworks left inside one of the containers. However, fire officials confirmed that the sound was aerosol cans exploding from the intense heat.
Broward County Fire Rescue and the Sunrise Fire Department offered mutual aid in extinguishing the flames.
The Swap Shop is the largest drive-in theater and daily flea market in the world. At least one vendor’s shop space was a total loss.
Investigators were on scene using an excavator to dig through the burned-out debris, eventually determining that a lit candle or incense that was left burning overnight likely caused of the fire.
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