The Deputy State Fire Marshal's report said the cause of the Mississippi Trade Mart fire that took place March 21 was accidental. The report states the investigation was unable to conclude whether an overloaded extension cord or a candle left burning by a fabric curtain when the facility closed caused the fire.
The Trade Mart held the Spring Market and All 4 Children Consignment events from March 20-22. A fire broke out at a vendor's booth but was contained to the booth and several adjacent booths.
The report states the fire broke out shortly after midnight on March 20. A security guard discovered the fire and promptly notified the Jackson Fire Department. Firefighters arrived on scene within three minutes and soon got the fire under control.
Deputy Fire Marshal Josh Ray investigated the fire and produced a report. Mr. Ray states:
It is DSFM Ray's conclusion that the fire located at 1200 Mississippi Street, Jackson, MS 39201, is an accidental Fire. The examination revealed that the fire started along the curtain wall that separated the Prostyle Paris booth and the Savvy Gourmand booth.
DSFM Ray located six portable makeup vanities. While examining the vanities, DSFM Ray noticed that each vanity had a multiplug attached to the side with three power cords for hair styling equipment plugged into it. The vanities then had a cord that ran down to an extension cord that was taped to the floor andthen plugged into a power strip. DSFM Ray was also able to locate a small-gauge extension cord that had significant damage to it. The stranded wire for the cord was frayed and separated. The extension cords had been run from the electrical receptacle and had items stacked on top of them. DSFM Ray was able to view video footage from the Trade Mart.
The video showed a woman in the Prostyle Paris booth lighting a candle on a shelf near the fabric curtain separating their booth from the Savvy Gourmand booth. The video showed that the candle was still burning at the end of the day when everyone had left the building. The next video clip was when the fire had already started. Director Patrick said that the cameras are motion-activated and only record when there is motion.The video shows the fire burning along the curtain that separated the Prostyle Paris booth and the Savvy Gourmand booth. The fire is burning the curtain from the bottom to the top and is starting to burn the curtain wall between the Savvy Gourmand booth and the Heels 2 Spurs Booth. Due to the extent of the damage, DSFM Ray was unable to determine if the cause of the fire was due to an electrical failure or the candle coming in contact with combustible material.
Posted below is the report. The pictures are available staring on p.59.




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