Cordons lifted after market fire

Progress has been hampered by concerns about structural safety

Camden town centre is slowly returning to normal after a huge fire at the weekend, according to police.

Many cordons around the Canal Market are being removed throughout the day to allow businesses to reopen.

Five of the six markets in Camden are now open but up to 300 stallholders and employees are affected by the fire.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said it was still too early to speculate on whether the blaze on Saturday was started deliberately.

Camden High Road is likely to remain closed until Tuesday evening.

See map of affected area

Work continues to knock down or make safe the affected buildings.

Simon Pitkeathley, from Camden Town Unlimited, said: "In this particular market the damage is particularly devastating.

There are a couple of hot spots that are quite difficult to get to but our crews are making good progress Guy Foster, London Fire Brigade In pictures: After the fire Traders count the cost

"There are some small traders who have lost a lot of stock and our heart goes out to them.

"What happens to them we don't know at this stage."

London Fire Brigade said it had received witness statements pinpointing the seat of the fire.

Some residents have returned to their homes after being ordered to leave when the fire took hold on Saturday evening.

Storage buildings for the market and the Hawley Arms pub were severely damaged, but no injuries were reported.

Some 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which began about 1920 GMT.

Nigel Hall, of the London Fire Brigade, said: "We do know exactly where the fire started.

"We won't know the cause of the incident until our investigators have managed to get in there once the building has been made safe... Along with the police, we'll investigate the seat of the fire."

Eyewitness accounts of blaze Shock as Camden burns In pictures: Camden fire

Structural engineers have been assessing the damage to buildings, including the Hawley Arms, a popular Camden pub which is frequented by celebrities including singer Amy Winehouse.

Ms Winehouse dedicated her Grammy awards win to London, "because Camden Town ain't burning down".

The markets area is a major tourist attraction attracting up to 300,000 visitors each weekend to its six open-air and indoor markets and vibrant mix of bars, clubs, shops and restaurants.

In a statement, the owners of Camden market said: "More than 300 people who run stalls in the markets may lose their livelihoods and we will be doing all we can to get them back running their businesses."

Train services passing through Camden Town on the North London line were suspended during the blaze, and Network Rail said it would check if any damage was caused to the tracks by the fire.

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