Moment inferno rips through historic Kingston Market as locals ‘woken by heat’

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This is the shocking moment a raging fire ripped through a historic market place in south-west London.

The blaze erupted in Kingston-upon-Thames town centre at around 4.30am on Tuesday morning.

Eight people were evacuated from properties, and a range of stalls in the 800-year-old Market Place were completely destroyed by the fire.

Colin, Salon Partner at Toni & Guy Kingston, lives above the salon on Market Place, and told The Standard how he was woken by the blaze in the early hours.

He said: “We were woken up by the heat and the sound of the fire.

“We could just see an orange glow around the curtains”.

The fire ripped through Kingston Market in the early hours of Tuesday morningToni & Guy KingstonA fireman tackling the blaze Toni & Guy KingstonVideo and photos taken by Colin around 4.45am show the fire ripping through the market stalls, sending flames and thick smoke into the air.

The historic local buildings can be seen illuminated with an orange glow, with shopfronts and stalls left destroyed.

Firemen can be seen tackling the conflagration, which was eventually brought under control shortly after 6am.

Firefighters tackle the blaze in Kingston MarketToni & Guy KingstonMore images show the aftermath of the fire, with a series of stalls reduced to piles of twisted metal and ash.

There have been no reports of any injuries following the blaze, and police are not treating it as suspicious.

The market square will remain shut for the foreseeable future, and the businesses within the area will not be trading until further notice.

The aftermath of the blazeToni & Guy KingstonColin said that his building was unaffected by the fire, adding that “luckily for us, the wind was going in the other direction.”

In a post on Instagram, Toni & Guy Kingston said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the incident, and we’re very grateful to the firefighters and emergency services for their incredibly quick response and hard work.”