Ranger – A fire destroyed a sizable section of Foster’s Flea Market on Blairsville Highway on Nov. 5.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the cause was determined to be the result of a small trash fire containing pieces of particle board that got out of control in high winds.
Multiple fire departments and other emergency agencies were dispatched to the area, which was laden with heavy black smoke and towering flames. Personnel worked to extinguish the inferno as items were exploding around them, sending metal shrapnel toward U.S. 64 West.
Vendors watched the fire with shock and sadness as part of the market once again fell to the ground. Memories came back of another fire on July 30, 2011, that destroyed a different section of the business.
Although much was lost in property, there were no reported injuries.