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>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>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>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.
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.