A bar and dance hall at the former Jarrell Flea Market burned to the ground last week according to several news reports. The fire at the market, located at 15141 S Interstate 35 in Jarrell, Texas, was reported at 1:30 a.m. Dec. 1 by a passer-by who saw flames and called 911. Five local fire departments took about an hour to master the blaze. There were no reported injuries.
“It was the dance hall and bar that burned down,” says Gerald Norman, the former manager at the flea market. “The other buildings are still there, but they closed it as a flea market close to a year ago, and now it is a storage facility.” Owner Dee Austin confirmed that the destroyed building had not been in use since the market closed. “It was empty. My husband passed away, and I haven’t done anything really with the property since.”
Contacted today, Jarrell Volunteer Fire Department chief Clifford Tschoerner says that cause of the fire is undetermined. “We did not find anything out of the ordinary that would indicate any foul play.”
Photo credits, with thanks: KCEN, Google Maps, Bing Maps.
