Out of the rubble: Flea market vendors clean up after fire
Darrel Lutrus helps other vendors at the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market clean up after a three-alarm fire destroyed a portion of the flea market last week. Lutrus, along Ralph DePinto, sold used tools at their booth. Lutrus said that they lost about 70% of their product.
“I’m devastated. It was hard enough knowing that I had to have this surgery. But knowing this is all gone? I mean there’s just nothing.” Betty Brewer had $150,000 lost in damages in last Wednesday's fire that burned through a portion of the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Betty Brewer points at all that she lost during last Wednesday's three-alarm fire at the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. “I knew it. I knew mine was gone,” Brewer said when she saw the blaze. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Part of the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market caught fire last Wednesday, destroying entire booths of vendors. The fire was deemed an accident but he cause has not been confirmed according to Horry County Fire Rescue spokesman Tony Casey. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
An antique music box that belonged to Betty Brewer's booth was pulled from the rubble by fellow vendor Darrell Lutrus Monday afternoon. The antique was still able to make music. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Scattered amidst the rubble are old vinyl records and antique books that once belonged to Betty Brewer. Brewer, who lost almost $150,000 of items in the fire, said that the two books that survived was a signed book by pro golfer Jack Nicklaus and former vice presidential candidate and Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
In the dark and scorched booth that once was manned by Ralph DePinto and Darrell Lutrus, sunlight shines through the fractured roof and shines on old tools and other items on a charred table that remains standing in the booth. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Charred pages of antique books litter the ground where Betty Brewer's booth once stood. Brewer lost nearly $150,000 in merchandise during last Wednesday's fire at the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Popular records from the artists of Motown and The Supremes are now bent and charred following a fire that destroyed a part of the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market last Wednesday. The albums belonged to Betty Brewer, who said she also lost albums of Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Mangled debris litters the grounds of what once was a portion of the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. The business caught fire last Wednesday. Vendors say they lost as much as 70 percent of their business to "absolutely everything. Sue Mahler, a regular customer at the flea market, is doing her best to help by vendors out by creating a GoFundMe to help pay vendors for damages. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
An antique statue remains standing outside of Betty Brewer's booth. Brewer said she lost pieces of African artwork that she had priced at $500 apiece. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
As vendors at the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market clean up following a three-alarm fire last Wednesday, there is hope. A regular customer in Sue Mahler is setting a GoFundMe, with the goal to raise $10,000 to help vendors get back on their feet. Mahler empathizes with the vendors because she lost almost everything in the "100-year flood" back in 2015. “I know what it feels like not have insurance and/or the emotional or monetary help,” Mahler said. “I just felt really bad. My heart went out to these people and I started a GoFundMe account.” Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
A small child's toy rests on a charred table in the booth that once belonged to Ralph DePinto and Darrell Lutrus, who sold used tools at the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. DePinto and Lutrus lost about "70 percent" of their belongings in a three-alarm fire that happened last week. There is hope for the pair and other vendors at the flea market as Sue Mahler, a regular customer, has set up a GoFundMe to help raise $10,000 for vendors. Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
Darrell Lutrus stands amid the rubble of his used tools booth at the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. He co-owns the booth with Ralph DePinto. The two said Monday that they lost about "70 percent" of their belongings in a three-alarm fire that happened last Wednesday. Help is on the way as flea market regular Sue Mahler set up a GoFundMe to help raise $10,000 to help vendors pay for the losses. Lutrus said Monday that Mahler's support is "something that South Carolinians do." Photo by Ian Livingston Brooking.
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Almost a week after a fire swept through the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market, the smell of bu…
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