Fire Guts Canton Shopping Center
CANTON (CBSDFW.COM) - A fire tore through a section of The Mountain at Old Mill Marketplace shopping center on Texas State Highway 64 in Canton Saturday morning. The blaze gutted about 20 buildings, according to Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen.
Several of the corrugated metal and tent-styled facilities people flock to for open marketplace (think Trader's Village) were damaged.
"The flame was twice the height of the trees it was blazing and I was surprised that the fire department was able to stop it when they did," one business owner told CBS 11 News.
Police said about 25 people evacuated their homes. No one was injured, according to Allen. Several fire departments responded including state fire marshal officers. Several business owners impacted by the blaze told CBS 11 News they were relieved the fire didn't happen during market weekend when more people are present.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
The Mountain hosts a series of "Old West" shops featuring a variety of vendors, and also has a bed and breakfast in the woods. It's separate from, but happens at the same time as Canton's 1st Monday Trade Days swap meet, according to its website.
Located 56 miles east of Dallas, the swap meet will go on as scheduled, according to the Canton's mayor.
It takes place November 28-December 1.
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