LONDON: Seventy firefighters battled a large fire in a building housing many boutique shops in London's popular Camden Lock Market in the early hours of Monday, reports AFP.

The emergency service said it had sent 10 fire engines to the scene and the fire was extinguished within around three hours with no casualties reported. "The first, second and third floors, plus the roof, of a building within the market are alight," the London Fire Brigade said on Twitter after the fire broke out.

Fire brigade spokesman David Reid said: "Crews worked hard to get the fire under control and to stop it from spreading to neighbouring buildings."

Images shared on social media showed tall flames and a burnt-out building at the north London market, which is popular with Londoners and tourists. "The fire was moving very fast," witness Joan Ribes, 24, told the Press Association news agency.

He said the fire "was flying through the air to the surrounding areas". "People were watching, but we were scared the building could explode at any time since there are restaurants with kitchens nearby," he said.