The first of the early vendors arriving to set up at the Webb Road Flea Market were stunned to find the market on fire as they came in.
At 3:40 a.m., a fire was reported at the market, with Building B on fire. Fire units from all throughout Rowan County responded, with over a dozen tankers.
The tankers were rotated, filling with water from a hydrant across the highway bridge over I 85 before queuing at the fire scene to feed hoses and aerial ladders to attack the fire.
As the morning continued, more vendors arrived, intending to spend the morning selling their items, only to discover the market ringed by fire trucks and staff.
According to fire officials, only one structure, Building B, burned down, and part of the roof fell during the fire. According to a family member who still operates the market, “the twenty vendors in that structure were not able to recover the merchandise stored onsite.” No other structures were structurally damaged by the fire.
“While the market remained closed today, we anticipate re-opening next weekend,” said Catherine Walton Popp of the Market. “We will try to accommodate merchants displaced from Building B in an alternate location starting next weekend .””Webb Road Flea Market has been an important part of the Rowan County community for 40 years, and we intend to rebuild once plans are approved by county officials,” she added.
The market, which is reached via Leach Road, has a history of flames; in 2010 and again in 2013, fires reduced the market to rubble. However, the edifice has always been rebuilt and remains popular, and none of the previous fires have been determined to be suspicious in character.
Tom Walton, Catherine’s father, was one of the market’s original owners/developers beginning in the mid-1980s. It has remained in the family over the years and is now owned and operated by Catherine and her husband, Joey Popp, as well as her sister and brother-in-law, Libby Walton Stephens and Chris Stephens.
One vendor on the scene who lives nearby stated that she has an outdoor booth where she sells and was hoping that she had not lost everything. The outside stalls were unchanged.
some stopped along Leach Road, some with trucks loaded with things, some with empty vehicles waiting to enter, all with their faces directed toward the fire and watching.
Fire officials stated that they believed they had discovered the source of the fire, but they were not willing to divulge any additional information until a complete determination was made.
The fire was declared “under control” three hours later at 6:40 a.m., and firefighters were finally able to enter and address internal hot spots at 7:03. Fire investigators were also permitted to enter on Sunday morning to begin their investigation.