Fire damages 108 stalls at Acapulco's Central Market, electrical short circuit suspected
A fire broke out early Wednesday morning at Acapulco's Central Market, damaging 108 stalls and raising new concerns about electrical infrastructure in a city still recovering from Hurricane Otis. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident.
The blaze began before 6 a.m. and quickly spread through the footwear and flowers sections of the market, which encompasses approximately 650 commercial stalls and serves as the primary hub for supplying much of the city's food and goods, including kitchenware, clothing, and handicrafts.
Some 100 firefighters responded to the emergency, with vendors joining the effort by bringing buckets of water to help suppress the flames. The fire was brought under control by the end of Wednesday, though crews continued working Thursday to smother localized hot spots and cool down three areas still emitting smoke.
Acapulco Mayor Leticia Lozano confirmed Thursday that 108 stalls were damaged in total, revising an earlier preliminary count of 90. The municipal government initially reported 75 stalls affected in the footwear section and 15 in the flowers section.
While the cause of the fire has not been officially determined, Raúl Noyola Rocha, Acapulco's civil protection chief, identified a short circuit in the market's electrical system as a possible trigger. An investigation by the Guerrero Attorney General's Office is expected to take up to a week to yield results.
Electrical infrastructure challenges
The suspected electrical cause echoes broader concerns about power infrastructure in Acapulco and across Mexico. Hurricane Otis, which struck the city on October 25, 2023, as a Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds, caused an estimated $12-16 billion in damage and left over 500,000 homes and businesses without power across Guerrero state. The storm inflicted $4.2 billion in damages to the electrical network alone.
Mexico's electrical grid infrastructure has suffered from years of underinvestment, with over 60% of the national transmission network already operating near maximum capacity. In 2025, physical investment by the Federal Electricity Commission fell by 24% in real terms compared to the previous year.
Faulty electrical installations have been identified as a widespread problem in Mexican markets. Following multiple market fires in Mexico City in 2020, authorities inspected 50 markets and found that 30 had faulty electrical infrastructure that put them at risk.
Pattern of recurring fires
Wednesday's fire marks the 12th such incident at the Acapulco Central Market since its construction in 1969. In June 2023, a massive blaze destroyed approximately 570 stalls and consumed more than 11,000 square meters of market space, requiring coordination among multiple security forces including the Navy, Army, National Guard, and local firefighters to bring it under control.
On Thursday, cleanup work including the removal of rubble was underway at the market, with Mexican soldiers and affected shopkeepers assisting the efforts. Reports indicated the presence of burnt metallic structures and goods reduced to ashes, with occasional new outbreaks of flames occurring in damaged areas.
Recovery efforts and economic impact
Local authorities plan to adapt part of the market to accommodate up to 110 temporary stalls while the footwear and flower sections are rebuilt. Affected stallholders are set to receive an initial economic support payment from the municipal government on Friday, though the amount has not been specified.
The fire compounds economic challenges for vendors in a city where approximately 80% of local businesses faced disruptions following Hurricane Otis. The hurricane damaged 80% of hotel infrastructure and 96% of businesses in Acapulco, a city that depends primarily on tourism. The Mexican government announced a $3.4 billion reconstruction plan following the storm, which displaced over 34,500 families and affected more than 560,000 residents, making it the costliest Pacific hurricane on record and the most expensive natural disaster in Mexican history.
