Iconic London venue KOKO hit by blaze

Up to 60 firefighters tackled the rooftop fire overnight

Date published: 7th Jan 2020

An overnight blaze has badly damaged iconic London venue KOKO.

Up to 60 firefighters and eight engines were called to tackle the fire on Camden High Street at around 9pm on Monday night, which had engulfed the roof of the famous music venue.

The grade II-listed former theatre - previously known as the Music Machine and Camden Place - opened in 1900 and has been undergoing an extensive £40m renovation following the acquisition of two adjacent buildings. KOKO was due to reopen in Spring 2020.

London Fire Brigade reported that the blaze had been brought under control at around 2.30am on Tuesday and had been contained to the roof - thankfully saving the rest of the historic building.

Amongst the names to have performed at the venue include Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Kanye West, Prince and local legend Amy Winehouse.

In a tweet posted on Monday morning, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said firefighters had been ‘working tirelessly overnight’ and thanked them for their ‘quick response’.

Image credit: Jiannis Georgiadis