A day after fire destroyed part of a popular South Jersey farmers market and flea market, the Columbus Farmers Market announced it will partially open for business as normal Thursday.
The outdoor flea market section of the Burlington County staple that sits along Route 206 near Columbus Jobstown Road will open as normal at 6:30 a.m. Thursday and remain open every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the end of the year.
Flames broke out shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday at the historic market and the blaze in Building 4 quickly spread to four alarms. Mostly volunteer firefighters battled the windswept fire that sent thick smoke out onto U.S. Route 206.
The smoke and flames caused crews to close nearby roads. As SkyForce10 hovered overhead you could see heavy flames pouring from the large red barn — a retail area — at the market, which claims to be the “Delaware Valley’s oldest and largest flea market.”
"The wind is very heavy right now and it's blowing strongly from west to east so the smoke from the building is blowing horizontally across the parking lot to Route 206," said Springfield Township Mayor Denis McDaniel in the minutes after the fire began.
No one was hurt and the market wasn’t open at the time of the blaze.
"I've been going to this market since I was a small boy in the '50s," said McDaniel. "It's very important, it's the largest shopping are in the whole township — it's one of the largest in this part of the county."
The facility includes indoor pavilion stores, an all-weather outdoor flea market, a self-storage facility and antique mall.
McDaniel told the Burlington County Times that the market hoped to reopen indoor retail areas in time for Thanksgiving, one of the busiest days of the year at the complex.
The indoor market is normally opened Thursday through Sunday.
The farmers market began as a cattle and horse auction in 1919 and 10 years later moved onto a 30-acre site in Columbus, according to the market's website.
Fire devastated the market twice before — in 1968 and 1972, according to the market. In 1988, Columbus Farmers Market, LLC purchased the market and expanded the grounds to 200 acres.
Even though the year-round outdoor market will open Thursday, cold temperatures could keep many sellers away. Retailers that normally operate inside could open outside if they want.
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The cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday but investigators said it didn't appear suspicious or intentionally set.
