Firefighters tackle blaze at famous Koko music venue in Camden Town

• YOUR article on the Camden fire accompanies a picture which, along with the one on the front page, shows the fire brigade really struggling, (Let’s keep spirit of Amy alive and hope Koko arises from the ashes, January 9).

This is confirmed by the facts that the alarm was raised at 9pm and the fire was under control at 2.40am. There are numerous fires which are beyond the best endeavours of our excellent fire service.

Recently they include the Mackintosh in Glasgow, the Littlewoods building in Liverpool, the Bankers building in Belfast, a hotel in Eastbourne, along with several listed Victorian piers.

These and, of course, the mother and father of all catastrophic fires, Grenfell Tower, are never going to be put out by conventional means. But the use of a controlled, pinpoint-accurate drop of 3,250 gallons of water droplets in many short bursts from above is quite another matter.

RAF Brize Norton was 12 minutes flying time away (we should allow them an extra five minutes’ quick reaction alert time) and these folks have numerous Hercules aircraft capable of doing the job, if, and only if, they had the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System. But they don’t.

Having achieved such success at shoring up the Whaley Bridge dam through the use of Chinooks from RAF Odiham in August, it is surprising that the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, recognised in the New Year Honours for their triumph, have put in position no means to get out these ghastly fires.

If another Grenfell-type fire were to happen, the result is likely to be the same.

PETER RUTHERFORD
NW6