A MAJOR FIRE IS UNDERWAY IN LONDON’S FAMOUS CAMDEN MARKET. The area is normally busy on Saturday nights with its noted outdoor market and extensive nightspots.
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Sky News
The fire was first reported about 7:20 pm London time (2:20 pm Eastern) and is still extensive. Early indications are that the fire started in a home in the area.
Sky News is telling:
Sky News reporter Sara Merchant described an “extremely dramatic scene” with reports a range of market stalls and ‘stables’ are alight.
Witnesses have told Sky News that the fire has also spread to surrounding shops in the residential area of Chalk Farm Road.
Sky News producer Chloe Potter witnessed an entire floor of a building collapse under pressure from the flames.
According to the Camden market Web site, it is the largest street market in Britain and the fourth most-visited tourist attraction in London, with about 500,000 visitors a week.
The market opened in the 1970s and has grown into a sprawling complex of market stalls, shops, workshops, studios and cafes. Shops sell everything from arts and crafts to designer clothes and antiques. (Camden Markets WEBSITE.)
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Drew Noakes photo
The photograph above shows the typical fire load that is found on all the streets in the Market area. Most of those outdoor stalls have propane cylinders for heating. The fire has reportedly gotten into several of the buildings.
Early reports say that there are 100 FF’s on the job and all homes and shops in the area are being evacuated.
BBC has an early video report HERE.
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cell phone photo by Nick Pomfret
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Press Assoc.
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BBC News
As of 5:00 pm, Eastern, the fire is still out of control.
London Fire Brigade spokesman Nick Comery said he had heard nothing to support that.
He told BBC News 24: “It’s an ongoing job and we are doing our best to bring it under control and to stop it spreading. It involves currently some market storage properties, shops and dwellings.
“It is a large area that is involved. It is a severe fire, there is a lot of smoke going up into the sky.”
BBC News reporter James Cooke said the fire appeared to have broken out in a row of shops.
Onlooker Eric Braun, who lives in the area, said: “The back of the Hawley Arms…is well on fire.”
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The Hawley Arms
He added: “The flames are not shooting up nearly as high as before but a lot of the market is burned. But there are still ferocious flames. The fire has jumped over the Silverlink railway and the railway bridge has been pretty well scorched.”
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Reuters
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AP photos
Update: At 7:00 pm Eastern time is was being reported that the fire has been brought under control. No word yet on how far it spread.
AP raw video (no sound)
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