The structure on Ringgold Avenue that had been Shaky Ray’s Fish Market for years was destroyed by fire Tuesday at midday.  Flames and smoke climbed high into the air for nearly an hour as firefighters fought the blaze.

Firefighters entered the blazing building to fight the fire.  Others sprayed water through windows and over the roof.  By the time the fire was extinguished most of the roof had either collapsed into the building or burned away.  The exterior walls are about all that remain.

Traffic on Ringgold Avenue was blocked as firefighters rolled to the scene.  Many large trucks blocked the street in both directions.  City policeman Ashanti Cole directed traffic.  The alternate route through town, US 84 was blocked from the railroad tracks to the 4-way at the foot of the bridge by sewer repair work.

The barricades at the bridge were moved and traffic coming through town from the north was routed down Front Street to Alonzo and onto US 84 to cross the Red River.

Firefighters had pressure at the hydrant across the street from the blaze.  However the hose was disconnected so traffic could pass and firefighting proceeded with water brought in by tank trucks.  Low or no water pressure in other parts of town did not appear to have a major impact on fighting the structure fire.

By midafternoon firefighters had departed.  Several units from the State Fire Marshall were on the scene beginning their investigation into the cause of the blaze.

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