Firefighters battle large blaze at sprawling Mexican market
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Some 200 firefighters battled a huge blaze in Mexico City’s sprawling wholesale market Thursday night without any reported injuries.
The Central de Abasto supplies the capital’s other neighborhood markets, restaurants and other parts of the country.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the fire started in an area of the market where wooden pallets and crates are built and stored, meaning there was substantial fuel on a breezy evening.
Flames leaped high into the night sky fed by swirling winds, but firefighters reported having the fire mostly under control after several hours.
The market covers more than 800 acres (327 hectares) in the capital’s most populated borough, Iztapalapa, and claims to be the world’s largest wholesale market. Thirty percent of Mexico’s food production is sold through the market, according to its website.