Traders evacuate burning market in El Salvador

A voracious fire on Wednesday consumed a large part of San Miguelito market, the third largest in San Salvador, which left no victims but did cause extensive damage. The spokesman for the Salvadoran volunteer EMS group Comandos de Salvamento, Carlos Fuentes, reported that 14 people were treated for “nervous breakdowns” as the flames consumed their stalls in the flower, handicrafts and piñata areas. The column of smoke from the fire could be seen from several metres around. The flames were coming out of the windows of the market, as some vendors tried to salvage some of their belongings. San Miguelito is the third largest market in El Salvador’s capital, with 1,206 vendor stalls. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.