Eight people evacuated as fire rips through 800-year-old market place in London in early hours

Fire spread through a historic market place in London in the early hours of the morning.

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters raced to the scene.

Police officers carried out the evacuation of eight people.

A range of stalls in the Market Place were destroyed by the fire which lasted at least an hour-and-a-half.

Passers-by look at the damage caused by the fire in Kingston Market Place

JR

The frontage of a number of properties in the historic area and a small part of the roof of a neighbouring property were also affected by the fire.

There were no reports of any injuries.

“The fire was extinguished by 0608.

“The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service.”

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) at 04:49hrs on Tuesday, 6 October to reports of a fire in Market Place, Kingston.

“Officers attended alongside colleagues from the London Fire Brigade and LAS.

“No injuries have been reported.”

A cordon was put in place while police officers and firefighters tried to establish the cause of the fire.

Fish stalls at the outdoor market at Kingston-upon-Thames in 1956

Getty

A market has been located in Kingston for centuries, with the oldest surviving records dating back to the early 1200s.

The Ancient Market is home to more than 20 permanent stalls and trades seven days a week, from 10am to 5pm.

It includes a fishmongers, greengrocers, florist, an artisan bakery and a number of food stalls.

“There were no injuries but the fire damaged several market stalls and businesses.”

He added: “Due to the incident, the Market Place is currently cordoned off.

“Businesses within the closed-off area will not be trading until further notice while a London Fire Brigade and Met Police investigation is underway.”

Kingston Bridge near the Market Place

The Between The Bridges market operator was appointed by Kingston Council to run Kingston Ancient Market from 1 April 2025.

It has experience operating the Southbank ‘Between The Bridges’ market, Clapham’s Venn Street Market and Winterville.

On taking over the running of the Kingston market, it stressed that it wanted to transform it into a vibrant, distinctive venue that fosters a strong sense of community.

It proposed installing new market stalls, refurbishment of the Market House for a new restaurant/cafe, relocating a statue, more external seating, better waste storage facilities and improved toilets.