Blaze hits Camden Square Play Centre

THURSDAY AUGUST 12, 2011

BY PAVAN AMARA

A FIRE at the Camden Square Play Centre in Camden Town overnight destroyed outdoor play tools for children and gardening equipment, according to onlookers.

Investigators said the blaze is not connected to rioting in the area earlier this week.

The fire developed in the shed outside the main play centre building and was quickly spotted by neighbours who called the fire brigade.

Marion Esfandiari, who lives on Camden Square said: “I was going to bed around 1am and heard the fire engines outside. They were just tidying up then. This morning I was going past and they were emptying the remain, so I asked one of the workers what they'd lost, and he said they'd lost all the outdoor things for the under-fives drop-in centre , the gardening stuff too.”

Ward councillor Angela Mason was at the scene by 9am this morning.

“It was spotted by the Irish Centre and by the neighbours,” said Cllr Mason. “So it's not as serious as it could have been but it is a matter of great concern. This is so well used and valued in this area. A lot of the kids' little bikes and gardening equipment was burned. It was just the shed that was burnt down.”

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said: “We were called out at 12.20am, we had a few callers. It was a Code 1 fire, which means it was basically a very small fire, so we don't have any more information. We had no riot related last night, so this one is certainly not riot related.”