Major fire at London's Camden Market

LONDON: Firefighters were tackling a major blaze at London's trendy Camden Market, as police evacuated bars and clubs packed with young revelers at a busy night.

There were no reports of casualties more than two hours after it broke out, engulfing market storage areas and shops, though the London Fire Brigade said earlier that not everyone had been accounted for.

Firefighters were initially called at 0040 IST. Television pictures showed the blaze had noticeably calmed by 0315 IST, having earlier filled the sky with burning cinders, smoke and orange flames leaping well above the rooftops.

One hundred firefighters armed with 20 fire engines and 10 water jets were tackling the fire.

Camden is a trendy and rough-at-the-edges area of north London popular with the 'alternative' culture crowd. Its arty shops and large craft and clothing market are a major London visitor attraction.

Nick Comery, a London Fire Brigade station manager, said it was a "very severe fire" covering a large area.

"Our key consideration is to stop the spread and to get the fire under control," he told Sky News television.
   
"We have no information at this time about any persons being involved.

"It is the early stages of the fire and we are doing our very best at bringing it under control.

"Any fire of this size is a large undertaking to tackle. Currently it is shops and market storage areas that are involved."