The farmers' market at Symons Valley Ranch in the city's northwest was gutted by fire on Thursday and it took firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control.

Fire crews were called to the scene in the 14500 block of Symons Valley Road N.W. just before 6:00 a.m. after residents in the area reported hearing numerous explosions coming from the building.

Fire officials say the building was completely engulfed in flames when crews arrived and a second alarm was called in.

“Due to the volume of fire, fire crews encountered when they arrived, it was immediately upgraded to a second alarm,” said Carol Henke, Public Information Officer, Calgary Fire Department. “Because there was a damaged gas line that was feeding the fire as well, that hampered efforts at getting it under control.”

Henke says crews gained the upper hand on the fire at about 11:30 a.m. and that it is contained.

“Firefighters went defensive right off the bat because it was just too dangerous to go inside,” she said. “At this point we are putting out hot spots,”

The large volume of smoke prompted officials to ask nearby residents to stay indoors and avoid the area.

Officials say about 40 residents in the Sage Bluff Green area were asked to leave their homes.

A section of 144 Avenue N.W. was closed to traffic as crews worked to douse the flames and there were some delays to school busing services because of the close proximity of the fire to the Symons Valley bus yard.

Shawnna Taylor runs One Cup Coffee Club and says the damage is 'devastating' for those small businesses that have shops at the market.

"The market itself has been open I think three or four years now. Any of us who have been there from the beginning know what a fight it's been to stay alive and keep the market alive." she said. "For me, this has been my only location. It's my primary location. So, for me, it's super important that this market succeeds. I have tried to get into other locations but everybody is trying to get into other locations. Everyone is trying to expand and without multiple locations, it's very difficult to make a living."

Ken Aylesworth, the managing partner for the Symons Valley Farmers’ Market, says he is glad no one was hurt in the fire.

"First and foremost, there doesn't appear to be anyone involved, no life taken that we are aware of. We have checked with all of our vendors and there was no one making deliveries or here at the market, so that is the number one most important thing," said Aylesworth. "32 full-time vendors that make their living and feed their families, so there are approximately 100 plus people who are affected specifically as far as vendors are concerned."

Henke says crews will stay at the scene to keep an eye out for flare-ups and that there might have been animals inside.

“We’re unsure whether there were animals inside but to our knowledge there were no people inside the building when it started,” she said.

This is not the first time that there has been a significant fire at the facility. A number of the halls of the buildings were damaged in a 1989 fire.

The market building on the property was built in 2013.