Koko London roof damaged by fire

London’s Koko has been damaged in a blaze that broke out on its roof shortly before 9pm last night (6 January).

The historic 1,410-cap. venue, in Camden, north London, has been closed for refurbishment since September 2018 when it shut its doors in order to fix a “structural issue within the building”. Koko, formerly the Camden Theatre, the Music Machine and, most recently, Camden Palace, was built in 1900 and grade II listed.

Photos posted on social media appeared to show around a third of the roof on fire before the London Fire Brigade (LFB) extinguished the blaze.

The fast action and hard work of firefighters contained the #Camden nightclub fire to the roof of the building. Fire crews will remain at the scene throughout the day https://t.co/PkzjrSqAy6 pic.twitter.com/5v1hw5Ozks

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) January 7, 2020

LFB station commander Jon Lewis, who was at the scene, says the fire was under control by 2.37am this morning.

“Firefighters’ quick action and hard work in the early stages meant the fire was contained to the roof and saved the rest of the building,” says Lewis. “Fire crews will remain at the scene throughout the morning.”

“The amount of support we have received from the public has been amazing”

Olly Bengough, owner of Koko, comments: “We are deeply saddened by the fire that took place at KOKO last tonight and pleased to announce there have been no casualties.

“We want to thank the London Fire Brigade for its quick response and how well it handled the situation.

“The amount of support we have received from the public has been amazing, and we’ll be doing our best to get the redevelopment of this iconic building back on track. We will provide further comments as circumstances become clearer.”

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