Horrified members of the public watch on as firefighters battle through the night to tackle inferno at former nightspot

Crowds gathered in the town centre last night as a huge fire at a former popular nightspot took hold in one of the busiest streets in town.

Several 999 calls were made at around 11pm last night after flames were seen ripping through a four-story building.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has yet to confirm which building was on fire.

However, eyewitnesses at the scene of the blaze have confirmed to the Chron that it was Ballooon Bar in Bridge Street which was on fire.

Shocked on-lookers gathered on all sides of the building as up to nine fire crews tackle the huge blaze.

Bridge Street remains closed today, while firefighters at the scene continue to ‘dampen down’ any remaining hotspots.

The former Angel Hotel building – encompassing Fat Cats Cafe Bar and Balloon Bar – has been a blight on Bridge Street since a huge fire in January 2012, which was accidentally started by a roofer's torch.

The Fat Cats part of the building, built in 1814-16, has been held up by eyesore scaffolding ever since.

Following the 2012 blaze, Fat Cats never opened again but Balloon Bar reopened in July 2013, later closing down for good in 2019.

In March this year plans to part-demolish and convert the building into 43 flats was recommended for approval.The applicant, A Z Investments, submitted plans in April 2022 to convert the Grade II listed building into flats, as well as office and commercial spaces with refuse and cycle storage provision, with the front facade to be retained and repaired, according to plans.

A spokesperson for the fire and rescue service said the cause of last night’s fire is not yet known.