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MONROE — A firefighter was "overcome by smoke" while battling a massive blaze at the Turtle Creek Flea Market.

More than 50 firefighters from six departments responded to the structure fire that broke out at 3 p.m. at the facility at 320 Garver Road just off Ohio 63 and Interstate 75, said Monroe Fire Chief Mark Neu.

Liberty Twp. Fire Chief Paul Stumpf said the injured firefighter, who was not named, was a 10-year veteran of his department. The firefighter was transported to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown for observation and later released.

The building is closed weekdays, and there were no other reports of injuries.

Neu said the apparent electrical fire started in a wall of a booth where fish and fish tanks were sold.

Candy Bailes, a 52-year-old Franklin Twp. widow who operates a rock 'n roll memorabilia shop, said the J. Paul Aquatics shop sells pets, including fish, rabbits, turtles and snakes, and is located in the area of the fire's origin.

Bailes, who has operated two booths since October in the wing nearest the pet shop, fears she may have lost everything to smoke damage. Also, Bailes said she is uninsured for her estimated $10,000 worth of licensed merchandise, including T-shirts, posters and lighters.

She and other vendors waiting anxiously outside the market — which hosts hundreds of booths year round — were not allowed inside to assess damages or recover merchandise.

Neu said vendors might be allowed inside the building today, June 13, but it was not known whether the flea market would reopen for business this weekend.

"They're going to open up as soon as they can, whether that'll be outside or switching to the other side of the building," he said.

Don and Lola Cohen of Mason rushed to the fire after a neighbor called to them to say that she saw a lot of smoke while driving along I-75.

"She said, 'Don, I think Turtle Creek (Flea Market) is on fire, and I said 'what?'" said Cohen, who added the couple has owned Lola's Fashionable Handbags booth at the flea market for five years. "We're concerned, as we should be."

Neu said from the wall of the booth, the fire spread into the ceiling and moved northward down the main hallway of the facility, which is E-shaped with six separate wings branching off to the east from the main building.

About 40 percent of the building, which did not have a sprinkler system, sustained heavy smoke or fire damage, he said. No estimates were assessed by late Thursday.

At the time of the fire, the facility was undergoing renovations, and workers were on top of the roof, but Neu said, "the fire did not start in the roof area.

Two maintenance workers using extinguishers tried to put out the blaze before firefighters arrived, he said.

When firefighters responded to the large structure fire within 4 minutes after the initial call at 2:58 p.m. "we had smoke was coming from the main part of the building," said Neu. "All the roof area and the steel that is into the roof area are structurally damaged."

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