PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - Haiti's iconic Iron Market, a tourist attraction in downtown Port-au-Prince, was ravaged Tuesday by an early-morning fire that spread through the building while many of the vendors, whose merchandise and cash were inside, were participating in the National Carnival celebration.

News of the fire traveled quickly on social media, and videos and photos were posted on Instagram.

It was unclear what sparked the fire, but witnesses told VOA Creole the fire alarm inside the market rang at 3 a.m. When they called the nearest fire station, about a block away, they were told the firetrucks were too low on gas to respond.

WATCH: Anguished Vendors Describe Losses in Port-au-Prince Fire

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As a result, firemen from the Carrefour station seven kilometers away were called, but they arrived too late to stop the blaze from burning the entire venue.

Video shot by a VOA Creole reporter showed groups of distressed vendors sobbing as they assessed the damage to their stalls and belongings.

A woman sobs in front of the Iron Market as it smo A woman sobs in front of the Iron Market as it smolders behind her in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 13, 2018. (R.M. Givens/VOA Creole) A woman sobs in front of the Iron Market as it smolders behind her in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 13, 2018. (R.M. Givens/VOA Creole)

A woman who lost all her merchandise in the fire was inconsolable as she tried to come to terms with reality.

"[I lost] shoes and men's clothes [inside]. ... What am I going to do? Who is going help me?" she wailed.

Vendors who lost merchandise in the Iron Market fi Vendors who lost merchandise in the Iron Market fire console each other after arriving on the scene, Feb. 13, 2018. (R.M. Givens/VOA Creole) Vendors who lost merchandise in the Iron Market fire console each other after arriving on the scene, Feb. 13, 2018. (R.M. Givens/VOA Creole)

Two men who came to check their stalls were stunned when they realized all of their merchandise had been destroyed.

"We weren't able to rescue anything," the man told VOA Creole, explaining that he also had money in a cashier's box inside that had been lost in the flames.

People inspect fire damage at the Iron Market in P People inspect fire damage at the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 13, 2018. (F. Lisené/VOA Creole) People inspect fire damage at the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 13, 2018. (F. Lisené/VOA Creole)

"We need for the government to help us because we've lost everything," another man said.

An official assessment of the damage was unavailable Tuesday, a national holiday in Haiti, during which government offices are closed in honor of Mardi Gras.

Firemen remained at the Iron Market in Port-au-Pri Firemen remained at the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after responding to an early-morning fire, Feb 13, 2018. (F. Lisené/VOA Creole) Firemen remained at the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after responding to an early-morning fire, Feb 13, 2018. (F. Lisené/VOA Creole)

?Market history

The Iron Market, or Marche Hyppolite, was opened by President Flovril Hyppolite in 1891. The original structure was built in Paris as a railway station for Cairo, Egypt. When the deal between France and Egypt to buy the structure fell through, Hyppolite offered to buy it. The structure was then shipped from Paris to Port-au-Prince and reconstructed.

Over the past two decades, the Iron Market has seen its share of troubles. It was damaged in 2008 by a fire. Two years later it was leveled by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands and left millions homeless.

The Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was stil The Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was still smoldering from a fire, late in the morning, Feb 13, 2018. (F. Lisené/VOA Creole) The Iron Market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was still smoldering from a fire, late in the morning, Feb 13, 2018. (F. Lisené/VOA Creole)

After the earthquake, Irish billionaire Dennis O'Brien, who owns the private telecommunications network Digicel, donated $12 million to reconstruct the market. The new structure, built to international code with solar panels, reopened in 2011.

The Le Nouvelliste newspaper reported that a Digicel official announced the company would be issuing a statement about the fire.

Raphael Maren Givens in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report. </s> A man looks for goods amid the rubble outside of the Marche Hyppolite (Hyppolite Market), also known as Marche en Fer (Iron Market), after a fire that affected part of the market and the surrounding stands in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 13, 2018.... </s> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A late-night blaze has ravaged the principal market in Haiti’s capital even as the streets nearby were crowded with Carnival celebrants.

Police said Tuesday they are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze at the Iron Market, and said they were not aware of any deaths or injuries.

The historic downtown structure houses hundreds of market stalls and has been a landmark since it was opened in 1891. It also suffered a devastating fire in 2008 and was nearly destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. But it was rebuilt and reinaugurated in 2011. </s> This capital's historic Marche En Fer, one of Haiti's largest markets, has been devastated by a fire, authorities said Tuesday.

A Haitian culture landmark popular with tourists, the Marche En Fer (Iron Market) hosts hundreds of vendors selling arts and crafts items, food and other wares. </s> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - A late-night blaze has ravaged the principal market in Haiti's capital even as the streets nearby were crowded with Carnival celebrants.

Police said Tuesday they are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze at the Iron Market, and said they were not aware of any deaths or injuries.

The historic downtown structure houses hundreds of market stalls and has been a landmark since it was opened in 1891. It also suffered a devastating fire in 2008 and was nearly destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. But it was rebuilt and reinaugurated in 2011.

A vendor talks on a phone as he stands in a section of the Iron Market, also known as Marche Hyppolite, in the aftermath of a massive fire, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday Feb. 13, 2018. The popular marketplace was reconstructed in 2011 after it was damaged by the 2010 earthquake and razed by a fire days later. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Vendors walk past a section of the Iron Market, also known as Marche Hyppolite, in the aftermath of a fire, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. The popular marketplace was reconstructed in 2011 after it was damaged by the 2010 earthquake and razed by a fire days later. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

A fire sweeps through a section of the Iron Market, also known as Marche Hyppolite, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday Feb. 13, 2018. The popular marketplace was reconstructed in 2011 after it was damaged by the 2010 earthquake and razed by a fire days later. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Vendors look for salvageable items in the aftermath of a fire that swept through a section of the Iron Market, also known as Marche Hyppolite, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday Feb. 13, 2018. The popular marketplace was reconstructed in 2011 after it was damaged by the 2010 earthquake and razed by a fire days later. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Vendors stand outside the Iron Market, also known as Marche Hyppolite, as smoke billows from a section of the marketplace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. The popular marketplace was reconstructed in 2011 after it was damaged by the 2010 earthquake and razed by a fire days later. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) </s> Fire ravaged a historic market in the Haitian capital early Tuesday, leaving burned-out merchants fearing for their livelihoods in the impoverished nation.

Citizens joined firefighters still working around midday to extinguish the blaze that destroyed one of two halls at the 19th century Iron Market.

Dozens of vendors lost their inventories in the blaze, which left them gathered in the market courtyard pondering an uncertain future.

"Without help to restart my business I am going to die on my feet because I never had anything else and, at my age, there's nothing else I can do," said Jacqueline Innocent, 75, who worked in the market her whole life.

Innocent said she lost 10 pots of djondjon, a type of Haitian mushroom, worth about $100.

"All of it burned," she said.

With no insurance and, for most of the vendors, no bank account, the fire means the loss of their meagre fortunes in a country where only a quarter of the people have access to "improved" latrines to avoid contamination and more than half of rural residents lack access to potable water.

A weeping Marie-Yousselande Remy, 52, said that the small profit she made at the market allowed her to send her eldest son to university in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

"What am I going to tell him now ? To stop his studies and come back here to end up like me without a job?"

Residents said the fire began in a garbage bag.

The market was previously damaged by fire in 2008 and then destroyed in Haiti's 2010 earthquake before being rebuilt under supervision of the Haitian agency in charge of protecting historic buildings. </s> Angry bystanders set the bus ablaze after driver sped away after driving into a band of street musicians.

At least 34 people have been killed and 17 injured when a bus ploughed into a crowd outside the northern Haitian city of Gonaives.

Marie-Alta Jean Baptiste, head of Haiti's civil protection office, told AFP news agency on Sunday that first the bus ran over two pedestrians, killing one and injuring the other.

Then the driver rammed into a band of street musicians while trying to speed away, killing 33 others. The incident took place about 150km from the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The vehicle crashed into a "rara" parade. Rara parades are groups of musicians playing traditional instruments who are often joined by passers-by.

Emergency workers transported the injured to a hospital, while police tried to control an angry crowd that attacked the bus.

After the incident, other musicians and people in the parade began hurling rocks at the bus and passing vehicles, injuring other people, said Albert Moulion, the Ministry of the Interior's spokesman.

"The people who were not victims of the accident tried to burn the bus with the passengers inside," said Faustin Joseph, a coordinator at the civic protection office in the Artibonite region.

"The bus, the passengers, and the driver were all placed into the care" of local authorities, Joseph said.

The bus was travelling from Cap Haitien to Port-au-Prince at the time of the incident. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rescue workers and traders assess the damage after the fire at Gikomba market

At least 15 people have been killed in a fire at a market in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

More than 70 people were injured in the blaze, which broke out in the middle of the night destroying many properties.

Gikomba is one of the largest open-air markets in the city and fires there are frequent, leading to speculation about possible arson attacks, The Standard newspaper says.

However, the cause of the current fire is not yet known.

The St John Ambulance service said the fire broke out at 02:30 local time (23:30 GMT on Wednesday) and spread to apartments and market stalls before being contained after about 90 minutes.

Image copyright SNS Image caption The pre-dawn blaze destroyed many stalls where clothes, shoes and vegetables were sold

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Riot police are at the scene where traders have gathered to view the damage

Some of the victims were burned while others inhaled poisonous fumes as they tried to salvage their property.

Hospital officials said there were four children among the dead.

Pictures from Reuters news agency showed people searching the wreckage and ash.

The injured have been rushed to different hospitals across the city.

One woman told the BBC she is still searching for her sister. "When I got to the scene, the fire had already spread to her house," said Millicent Achieng.

"She told me she was inside her flat and there was so much smoke that she couldn't move. Her child was with her."

Ms Achieng said she pleaded with the security guard to open the gate to building, but he refused - saying he had been instructed by the landlord to lock it to "keep looters out".

Image caption Millicent Achieng is desperately searching for her sister

Ms Achieng said she tried to reach her sister unsuccessfully by phone several more times.

"Now calls aren't going through," she said.

"At dawn I asked my brother to go look for her in the hospitals but he couldn't find her. We don't know if my sister is among those who were burned beyond recognition."

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The market is well known for the sale of second-hand clothes, shoes and vegetables, and also has timber yards which were damaged in the blaze.

The blaze is believed to have broken out in one of the timber yards. </s> The people who were not victims of the accident tried to burn the bus with the passengers inside. (Photo: Representational Image)

Port-Au-Prince (Haiti): A runaway bus plowed into a crowd of people in the Haitian city of Gonaives early Sunday, killing 34 people and injuring 15 others, officials said.

The accident, in the city some 150 kilometers (90 miles) outside Port-au-Prince.

"First, the bus plowed into two pedestrians, killing one of them, and injuring the other," Marie-Alta Jean Baptiste, head of Haiti's civil protection office, told AFP.

The driver then rammed into a band of street musicians as it tried to speed away, leaving 33 of them dead in a scene of ghastly carnage.

Emergency workers transported the injured to the hospital, while police tried to control an angry crowd that gathered at the accident scene.

"The people who were not victims of the accident tried to burn the bus with the passengers inside, said Faustin Joseph, civic protection coordinator for the department of Artibonite, where Gonaives, the regional capital, is located.

"The bus, the passengers and the driver were all placed into the care" of the local authorities, Joseph said.
An overnight fire destroys parts of Haiti's historic Marché en Fer (Iron Market) in Port‑au‑Prince. It is unclear what started the fire.