Camden's iconic Koko music venue engulfed in huge blaze

6 January 2020, 21:53

An iconic north London music venue has been engulfed in flames while undergoing extensive renovation work.

The blaze broke out at Koko in Camden Town, which has hosted performances from the likes of Amy Winehouse, the Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran, on Monday evening.

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters battled the fire, which is covering around 30 per cent of the roof, according to the London Fire Brigade.

They attended the fire shortly before 9pm after receiving 22 calls about the blaze and said they were "working hard to save the rest of the building."

Camden Council leader Georgia Gould described the fire as "heartbreaking" and praised the fire brigade for their "swift and courageous response."

Local MP Keir Starmer also called the fire "awful" but said the work of firefighters had been "incredible" and that "we owe them so much."

The legendary venue opened as The Camden Theatre in 1900, but was best known during its incarnation as the Camden Palace between 1982 and 2004.

It closed for refurbishment in March 2019 and was due to reopen this spring.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.