A large fire tore through a Fairfax County, Virginia, antique center on Christmas Day, leaving many of the unique artifacts inside destroyed.
Firefighters were called to the Mount Vernon Antique Center on the 8100 block of Richmond Highway in Alexandria about 9:15 p.m. When they arrived, they called for a second alarm.
Firefighters were able to knock down the blaze in about 90 minutes, but the intense fire left mostly rumble behind.
"I'm speechless. I really am. It was a beautiful place," said antique seller Sergei Scicca.
The antique center houses more than 30 dealers like Scicca. It was closed Tuesday for Christmas, according to the center's website.
"I know that things of value were in there, and I'm certain a lot of the dealers have lost their livelihood, which is really one of the worst parts," said customer Bob Murray.
Many customers and dealers stopped by the store on Tuesday to see what was left of the place they once went to find treasures.
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"They were rare things. I had things that nobody else had, like a typewriter that was flat like this," said antique seller Peter Eickmann.
"It's a shame after Christmas. No one needs this. It's terrible," Scicca said.
There were no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
