Fridge thought to be cause of Kingston market fire

A fire which destroyed a number of stalls at Kingston's Ancient Market and damaged a number of nearby shops in the early hours of Tuesday is thought to have been started by a fridge with an electrical fault.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the suspected faulty appliance "requires further verification" by an electrical testing firm. It has not said where the fridge was located.

The LFB has already concluded the fire, in south-west London was "accidental" and the Metropolitan Police investigation found the cause was "not suspicious".

Kingston Council said on Thursday "work to make the damaged buildings safe is under way" and the clean up "will commence once it is safe to do so."

In a message on its website, the council said it was working with the market operator, Between the Bridges "to look at all options to support traders impacted by the fire, as well as continuing to support all traders and businesses in the area".

The leader of the council, Andreas Kirsch said some traders with undamaged stalls had been able to begin trading again.

"We're working as hard as we can to get the site safe and secure, and to support traders to get back to work as soon as possible," he said.

"Our priority now is to continue to support those affected and help ensure our much-loved market recovers as soon as possible."

The fire damaged nearby shops, as well as the market stalls.

Lush, Greggs, Hotter and the bureau de change are some of the shops that have been impacted.

Anmol Brahmbhatt, who works by the market, told the BBC: "There's a lot of speculation whether this can be repaired in time for Christmas or not.

"This market is the heart of Kingston. It's always thriving from the time it opens to the time it closes. It's sad to see that the market stallholders are going to have a loss of earnings due to this, too."

On Wednesday, local stallholders and shopkeepers spoke to the BBC about the fire and the impact on businesses in the lead up to Christmas.

Tim Meads, a fishmonger in the market for 42 years, said: "It's taken everything away from me. Devastating."

His stall was among those damaged.

"Hopefully we will rebuild, the town needs us," he said. "At the moment I've lost everything."

In January, operator Between the Bridges submitted plans to Kingston Council to revamp the market with replacement stalls, a central piazza, restaurant, bar and roof terrace.

No decision has yet been made on the proposals.

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