The owners of Koko have pledged to “do our best” to restore the cherished London venue as specialist investigators prepared to probe the cause of a fire that tore through its roof.
More than 60 firefighters battled the blaze in the 120-year-old concert hall in Camden High Street, which has hosted Madonna, Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones and Prince and was undergoing a £40 million refurbishment.
Huge flames leapt above construction hoardings covering the building shortly before 9pm on Monday.
London Fire Brigade said one third of the roof had been damaged. The fire was brought under control early today.
Koko, formerly known as Camden Palace and the Camden Hippodrome, closed for refurbishment in March last year and was set to reopen this spring as a “world-class music and hospitality destination”.
Features were to include three restaurants and a penthouse suite.
Koko owner Olly Bengough said on Tuesday: “We are deeply saddened by the fire… and pleased to announce there have been no casualties. We want to thank the London Fire Brigade for its quick response.
"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.”
Camden: Koko fire - In pictures
The venue added in a tweet: "The whole team at KOKO are incredibly grateful for the swift action of the London Fire Brigade #LFB helping to contain the fire;our beloved KOKO is still standing.
"We will be back with an official statement once we have had time to properly assess the consequences of the fire."
Construction worker Jamie O’Hagan, 32, was working in the apartment block next door when the blaze started. He said: “We had to smash the padlocks off to let the firefighters out to the roof.”
Fire station commander Colin Digby said: “Structurally, we believe the building is okay.”
He added: “Due to restricted access we have been unable to go in and establish exactly what the cause is.
"We have a specialist team who we will try to get in and work out what the cause is.”
