A fire ripped through the historic Kingston Market in south-west London in the early hours of Tuesday morning, destroying stalls and forcing eight people to evacuate.
The blaze broke out in Kingston-upon-Thames town centre at around 4.30am. Eight people were evacuated from properties, and a range of stalls in the 800-year-old Market Place were completely destroyed.
Witness describes being woken by heat
Colin, Salon Partner at Toni & Guy Kingston, lives above the salon on Market Place and described being woken by the fire.
He said: “We were woken up by the heat and the sound of the fire. We could just see an orange glow around the curtains.”
Video and photos taken by Colin around 4.45am show the fire ripping through the market stalls, sending flames and thick smoke into the air. The historic local buildings were illuminated with an orange glow, with shopfronts and stalls left destroyed.
Fire brought under control
Firefighters tackled the blaze, which was brought under control shortly after 6am. Images from the aftermath show a series of stalls reduced to piles of twisted metal and ash.
There have been no reports of any injuries, and police are not treating the fire as suspicious. The market square will remain shut for the foreseeable future, and businesses in the area will not be trading until further notice.
Colin said his building was unaffected, adding that “luckily for us, the wind was going in the other direction.”
In a post on Instagram, Toni & Guy Kingston said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the incident, and we’re very grateful to the firefighters and emergency services for their incredibly quick response and hard work.”
