The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been called to investigate the massive fire that tore through a Chicago flea market Tuesday, said ATF spokesman Tom Ahern.
The ATF's National Response Team will look to determine the cause and origin of the fire, a process which could take several days, Ahern said.
At least one person was rescued and several cars swallowed as firefighters spent hours battling the blaze in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park neighborhood Tuesday morning.
The fire started around 9 a.m. in the 4500 block of West Haddon Avenue. No injuries were reported but at least one person was rescued from the building, the Chicago Fire Department said.
By 11:30 a.m., all firefighters were ordered out of the building and the blaze had been upgraded to a 4-alarm fire. Shortly after, a level one hazmat was declared.
The building's roof deck collapsed in the blaze, engulfing at least seven parked cars as the flames intensified. The fire department said the vehicles and other flammable items inside the property prompted firefighters to "surround and drown" the building.
"The whole building will need to come down," said First Deputy Richard Ford II.
A sign that read Buyer's Flea Market could be seen enveloped by smoke. The sign claimed the flea market is "Chicagoland's largest."
The flea market was not open Tuesday, but dozens of vendors and businesses rushed to the scene, only to watch thousands of dollars in work and merchandise burn to the ground.
Richard Jacobs is a manager of the flea market which has been in his family for years.
"We feel terrible for all our vendors and we're hoping to rebuild if we can and see what happens along the way," Jacobs said. "We're still in shock as much as our vendors are."
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Jacobs added that vendors "know that they should have insurance and we have made that clear."
The flea market's owner, Lenny Kraus, flew in this morning to reassure families who have lost their businesses.
"I'm not going to take the money and run. I'm going to put the place back together," Kraus said.
"It's my piece of the American Dream, owning my own business," said vendor Duwayne Randolph. "Just to watch it burn up like this... what more can I say."
Business owner Mary Lou Gianni has sold gold here for almost 20 years.
"We can go and check our spot," Gianni said. "I am hoping the little walls of my spot are still up. I want to see if something is there. I got my last hope that anything is left."
The losses are substantial: jeweler dealer Maria Virguez says her inventory cost her more than $200,000 dollars.
Fire officials said it will take "several days" to determine what caused the fire.
