Firefighters dig through Camden wreckage

London: Firefighters dug through the wreckage of London's famous Camden market yesterday, trying to find out what started a large blaze that seriously damaged the market and surrounding buildings.

It took 100 firefighters about three hours to put out the fire on Saturday night.

The blaze sent flames high up into the sky over northern London and caused major damage to clothes and craft market stalls and to buildings such as the Hawley Arms, a pub that has been frequented by celebrities such as singer Amy Winehouse, rocker Pete Doherty and model Kate Moss.

There were no casualties.

"In a word, I'm devastated," Ruth Charles-Ridler, the pub's landlady, said as she arrived at the scene to assess the damage yesterday morning. "Everyone I've spoken to is in complete shock. This was a good community pub where everybody knew everybody else. It is a great loss to Camden Town."

"It's quite a heavy blow," said Steve Norris, a local business owner. He said so many shops in the area are small businesses that will have a difficult time coping with a big fall in customers.

The normally crowded commercial and residential area, complete with open markets and canals, is one of the capital's top shopping and tourist destinations.

Sunday is traditionally the busiest day of the week for shoppers at Camden Town's shops, coffee houses, pubs and open markets.

Police kept the burned-out area closed with a cordon yesterday morning, but allowed tourists and shoppers to use a large part of the unaffected High Street.