Camden blaze has destroyed everything I worked for

Denise Dare's two shops and a market stall - about 7,000 square feet of retail space - were destroyed as the massive fire swept through the market on Saturday night.

Ms Dare, and her partner Ari Papagiannis, had spent 18 years running clothing outlets which include After Dark Fashions and the adjacent Goth and Punk, as well as a large indoor market stall.

Ms Dare, who is in her forties, said she had been left "devastated" by the fire, after seeing the extent of the damage for the first time yesterday. She said: "Everything has gone. All the business stock, our display stock, everything in our storage area. It's more than £500,000 worth. I was hoping we would not be affected but all that remains is black ash. The police took us round on the high street and we saw the front of our shops. They were blacked out, the floors collapsed - they were gutted.

"I had built myself up until I was able to get the two shops about six years ago. I loved it. Now it has all gone." The shops, which sell clothing, lingerie and make-up, are two of 300 businesses affected by the fire - 35 of which have been seriously damaged.

The trader, who calls her businesses "her second home", learned of the disaster just moments after closing for the day.

She said: "The flames were shooting up through the roof into the air. It was burning like you would not believe. We did not expect to see a fire so big and burn everything down so quickly. We were just devastated."

As well as shops and market stalls, the fire also wrecked the Hawley Arms, a pub used by stars such as Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss. Winehouse dedicatedwinning her Grammy awards to Camden on Saturday.

The London Fire Brigade's investigation team began yesterday by interviewing witnesses. The cause of the fire could remain unknown for days because structural engineers still need to assess the safety of some of the buildings before they can be inspected.