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.

About 3:45 a.m. two buildings on the back or left side of the facility were ablaze, and by about 4 a.m. a third alarm was struck. Fire departments from across Rowan County responded, and there were more than a dozen tankers.

The tankers were put into a rotation, filling with water from a hydrant across the highway bridge over I 85 then queuing up at the fire scene to feed hoses and aerial ladders to combat the fire.

As the morning progressed, more and more vendors arrived, planning to spend the morning selling their wares only  to find the market surrounded by fire apparatus and crews.

All materials inside the central building reportedly have burned, but the brick building appeared to remain unscathed as of 6 a.m. There were no reports of injuries and officials said it is way too early to speculate about a cause.

The market, which is accessed by Leach Road, has had a history of fires, in 2010 and again in 2013 fires brought the market to near rubble. The amount of damage this morning is not yet clear as firefighters were still fighting hot spots and active flares before sunrise.

One vendor at the scene who lives nearby said she has an outdoor stand where she sells, and she was praying that she hadn’t lost anything.

Others parked along Leach Road, some with trucks filled with items, others with empty vehicles just waiting to go in, all had faces turned toward the fire, watching.

This story will be updated as more information is released.