Koko fire: Drone footage shows iconic Camden nightclub in flames

Ellena Cruse13 January 2020

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has released drone footage of a fire at the iconic music venue Koko in north London.

The clip was recorded as part of an aerial safety operation to gather more information about the fire in Camden.

Around 60 firefighters tackled flames last Monday and operators received 22 "999" calls from the public.

It took the brigade more than five and a half hours to control the blaze and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Around 60 firefighters battled the blaze
Dave Benett

An LFB spokesman said the drone footage, which pans across the roof of the venue, gave crews "situational awareness".

It also provided information about which areas remained unsafe for firefighters.

A drone video helped firefighters plan how to tackle the fire
Lucy Young

Station Commander Jon Lewis said: "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."

Around 30 per cent of the ceiling was damaged by fire and the venue's owner, Olly Bengough, praised the "quick response" of firefighters, which meant there were no human casualties.

"We want to thank the London Fire Brigade for its quick response and how well it handled the situation," he said

Firefighters at Koko in Camden High Street, north London
PA

“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."

Koko, formerly known as Camden Palace and the Camden Hippodrome, closed in March 2018 for refurbishment and was covered in scaffolding at the time of the fire.

It was set to reopen within months after a “major state-of-the-art” revamp, including a renovation of the rooftop area, following the purchase of two adjacent buildings.

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