By DPA
London : A huge fire has ripped through north London’s popular Camden Town Market, with more than 100 firefighters spending three hours battling 10 metre-high flames in parts.
No one was injured in the fire that broke out Saturday evening in the famous market, rescue service officials said Sunday.
Several houses, pubs and nightclubs in the immediate vicinity were evacuated and around 100 people had to take emergency shelter in a sports hall, the officials said.
The famous, normally colourful, market appeared dampened and charred Sunday as many stalls had been ruined by the flames and water hoses.
The police called on bystanders to stay away from the area for two to three days as some buildings were in danger of collapsing.
The region’s famed Hawley Arms pub, which was a quasi-headquarters for the Hell’s Angels, was severely damaged in the fire.
Singers such as Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty and designer Sadie Frost had frequented Camden’s clubs. Camden is also home to bands such as Razorlight, Primal Scream and The Zutons.
The market area is popular among fashion fans, with unusual jewellery, boots, jeans, shirts and leather goods on offer. It is a major tourist attraction with up to 300,000 visitors every weekend in its six open-air and indoor markets.
The cause of the blaze was still unclear Sunday, but was believed to have broken out in a small T-shirt shop and quickly spread, a police spokesman said.
A spokesman for the fire brigade, Nick Comery, said the fire spread so quickly that the fire service had to use 20 brigades and additional water tanks to bring it under control.