A morning fire at the Swap Shop – one of Broward County’s largest flea markets – required immediate containment by firefighters. Although it was a small fire, the smoke filling the massive building posed a challenge that required “unconventional” solutions, including the use of an airboat.

Around 7 a.m., Lauderhill Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Swap Shop, 3291 W. Sunrise Boulevard, said Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Levy.

Firefighters noticed smoke coming from the second floor of the large flea market and entered the building. They found that the sprinkler system contained the fire to a vendor booth, which firefighters quickly extinguished.

Although the fire was easily extinguished, the smoke had already spread to large parts of the building.

“Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and were faced with the challenge of getting smoke out of such a large building,” Levy said.

Firefighters used fire fans for several hours, but to no avail. Due to the size of the building, it was too much work for the fans to remove the smoke, so “more unconventional firefighting methods” had to be used.

Firefighters called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for help and asked them to bring in a hovercraft. The smoke was eventually cleared using the large fan that powers the boat.

There were no injuries and the main Swap Shop building remains closed. The cause of the fire has not yet been announced.