Wares and Dreams Go Up in Smoke : Blaze: Fire damages Hollywood Swap Meet. Many vendors had no insurance and lost their livelihoods.

Fire swept through a four-story discount market and swap meet in Hollywood early Friday morning, causing $750,000 in damage and taking with it the livelihoods of several vendors whose uninsured goods were destroyed.

The fire erupted inside the Hollywood Bazaar in the 6300 block of Hollywood Boulevard shortly before 5:45 a.m., clouding the skyline with thick plumes of black smoke and forcing closure of the street for more than three hours, authorities said.

No major injuries were reported, but one elderly woman, a resident of a retirement complex on nearby Vine Street, was overcome by smoke and taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital for observation, authorities said.

More than 130 firefighters battled for two hours to extinguish the stubborn fire, which they managed to keep from spreading to the landmark Broadway Hollywood building, a nine-story retail and office complex next door.

The cause of the fire in the more than 60-year-old structure has not been determined.

The real victims of the fire were the 15 or so merchants of the Hollywood Bazaar, some of whom stood by and watched in disbelief as flames destroyed their dreams along with their wares. Most are struggling Latino men and women--such as 52-year-old Lilian Molina--who worked seven days a week and used the money they earned to help support their families.

Molina said she has worked at the swap meet fro three years, where she sold children’s clothing to supplement her husband’s income. Molina estimated that she lost between $5,000 and $10,000 worth of clothes.

“I don’t have nothing,” she said, sobbing. “I don’t have no insurance. They don’t sell insurance to swap meets. Only if you have a store.”

Enzo Maldonado35, another vendor, said he also had no insurance and lost about $5,000 worth of housewares. Maldonado said he and his wife, Sonia, had been renting a booth at the swap meet for three months and had hopes of one day owning a store.

“Most of the money we had we invested in there,” Maldonado said, wiping tears from his eyes. “We wanted to start our own business. We borrowed money from people. I don’t know how we’re going to pay them back. We lost everything.”

Norris Evans, who co-owns one of two small recording studios in the basement of the building, said he was inside when the fire broke out.

“I was recording and then I crashed out about 3 a.m. and, for whatever reason, the good Lord just woke me up,” he said. “I smelled smoke, grabbed my shoes and high-tailed it out of there. I’m happy to be alive.”

Still, Evans feared that the $150,000 of uninsured recording equipment belonging to him and his partner was either lost or heavily damaged. The basement was not burned, but fire officials said it received extensive water and smoke damage.

“We never thought about fire,” Evans said. “We just thought about theft. We had an elaborate alarm system put in.” Eddie Von(cq), a musician who worked and lived in the building, was also inside when the fire started. He managed to save his prized, fire-engine red Ibanez guitar, but not much else.

The owners of the building could not be reached for comment. But Tim Boydston who has managed the swap meet for two years, said he is not sure anything can be done to help the vendors.

“It’s always the little business people that get hurt,” he said. “It’s sad. We lived through the riots. We saved our building, and now this. It’s just one thing after another. This town is crazy.”