Camden Market Fire Investigators Wait For Access

The fire devoured the Hawley Arms pub, a popular haunt of celebrities including singer Amy Winehouse and model Kate Moss.

Fire investigators hope to gain access to the burnt-out area of the Camden Market site on Monday to assess damage and find the cause of the blaze that gutted a row of shops, a pub and warehouses.

Fire crews were continuing to damp down the area in north London which erupted in a huge blaze on Saturday evening.

Inspectors will not be allowed in until the canalside market, part of one of the capital's most popular tourist districts, is declared safe, a London Fire Brigade spokesman said.

No one was injured but 20 fire engines and 100 firefighters were needed to tackle the blaze.

The fire struck a row of shops and a stalls market by the canal side but the historic Camden Lock and Stables markets were undamaged.

Simon Pitkeathley, chief executive of local business organisation Camden Town Unlimited, said the blaze had damaged only a comparatively small part of the total market.

"Camden is still very much open for business," he said. "By next weekend everything but the bit that was hit by the fire will be fully functional."

As the clean-up operation began, a number of streets including the busy Chalk Farm Road and Camden High Street, remained closed while engineers assessed damage to buildings.

The fire devoured the Hawley Arms pub, a popular haunt of celebrities including singer Amy Winehouse and model Kate Moss.

Winehouse, who won five Grammy Awards on Sunday, highlighted the blaze in her acceptance speech.

"And for London, this is for London, because Camden Town is burning down," she told the awards ceremony in Las Vegas by satellite from a studio in the British capital.

Police said there was nothing to suggest the fire's origins were criminal.

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.