Parts of London's trendy Camden Market area will be closed in coming days, police said Sunday, as a clean-up operation and probe began into a blaze that destroyed shops, bars and homes.
"The buildings involved have suffered major structural damage," Chief Superintendent Dominic Clout said in a statement. "London Fire Brigade are likely to be in attendance for a further two to three days."
Clout said it was too early to say what caused the fire, which broke out at about 7:00 pm (1900 GMT) Saturday as the north London district swelled with partygoers.
It took 100 fire-fighters about six hours to bring under control, as thick smoke shut off roads and rail services through the busy entertainment district, which is at the heart of the British capital's "alternative" culture scene. There were no reports of any injuries but 29 people, including 11 children, were forced into temporary accommodation overnight, police said.
Fire crews were still working at the scene dampening down Sunday morning. The worst-hit areas were storage properties for the Canal Market tourist hotspot and the Hawley Arms pub, a former Hell's Angels haunt which has since become a celebrity hang-out.
The singer Amy Winehouse and supermodel Kate Moss have been among the clientele. All but one of the pub's upstairs windows remained intact and the interior was visibly gutted. Landlady Ruth Charles-Ridler said she was "devastated" as she arrived to assess the damage Sunday morning - traditionally Camden Town's busiest day as crowds flock to its arty shops, craft and clothing markets. "This was a good community pub where everybody knew everybody else," she told reporters.
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