(12-31) 20:10 PST MEXICO CITY (AP) --

Illegal fireworks stands ignited in the port city of Veracruz on Tuesday as revelers thronged a marketplace to buy New Year's supplies. The blaze quickly engulfed an entire city block and killed at least 15 people.

Police and ordinary citizens helped firefighters carry heavy hoses to the fire as they struggled to put out blazing cars, buildings and market stalls. Fireworks could be heard zipping through the air over the roar of the flames.

City fire spokesman Carlos Ortiz said at least 15 people were dead and 50 were injured, most from smoke inhalation. The blaze broke out in the early evening at outdoor street stands and spread rapidly to a nearby enclosed market, he said.

Ortiz said it was unclear how the blaze started, although there were reports that a passerby threw a cigarette at a stand. The fire raged between the Hidalgo and Unidad Veracruzana markets, two major shopping areas in the popular port city 185 miles east of Mexico City.

City officials had tried to shut down the fireworks stands on Dec. 24, but stood down after stand owners beat them back with sticks and rocks, Ortiz said.

Fireworks explosions are common in Mexico, where people use sparklers, bottle rockets and small sticks of dynamite to celebrate holidays and special occasions. Many factories and stands operate illegally with few safety precautions.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2003