Top 50 Gastropub suffers fire
London Fire Brigade was called to the Victorian property, in Camden’s Kentish Town, at 12:29pm on Sunday 22 September.
Around 60 people were evacuated from the building before the brigade arrived.
Fire at The Parakeet pub in kentish town. All under control. @LondonFire on scene @999london@LondonLive@BBCLondonNewspic.twitter.com/1tfKPrrJRK
— NW5 Gooner (@NW5Gooner) September 22, 2024
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled the inferno, with control mobilised fire crews from Kentish Town, Euston, West Hampstead and Hornsey stations, and the blaze was under control by 1:56pm, according to London Fire Brigade. There were no reports of any injuries and the impact of the incident on the business is not yet known.
Greater risk
The Brigade said the incident was accidental and believed it to have been caused by fat and grease inside the ducting igniting.
Following the blaze, London Fire Brigade urged operators to ensure their extraction systems are regularly cleaned.
London Fire Brigade's top tips for restaurants, pubs and takeaways:
- Have ducting in your extraction system cleaned regularly
- Ensure ducting is installed correctly
- Take extra care when cooking with hot oil as it can easily overheat and catch fire
- Use an electronic deep fat fryer if possible - they have automatic temperature controls and are much safer
- Ensure your electrical system is regularly tested
- Complete your Fire Risk Assessment and make an emergency plan
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said: “We’d like to remind restaurant and takeaway owners to ensure they don’t have dirty ducting.
“If you don’t clean the ducting in your extraction system regularly, you’re at a greater risk of ducting fires.
Latest project
"You should also make sure you keep the hob, cooker hood and extractor fan clean too – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire."
The Parakeet, formerly known as the Oxford Tavern, is number 36 on the Top 50 Gastropubs list. The pub is owned by the Columbo Group and opened at the start of 2023.
It is the latest project from Steve Ball and Riz Shaik, who run several music and nightlife venues across London and Manchester including Camden's Jazz Café and The Blues Kitchen.
- The Morning Advertiser contacted the Columbo Group for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
