FIRE broke out at the O2 Academy in Cowley Road this afternoon, with firefighters saying a piece of discarded clothing could have been left on a lamp.

Crews from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue were called to the scene at 2pm.

Four firefighters extinguished the small fire, which had started in one of the backstage rooms on the first floor, and removed the smoke using a fan.

Crew manager Kevin Morgan of the Slade Fire Station said: "The cause of the fire appears to be discarded clothing or materials on the top of the light.

"This is a good reminder for everyone that lighting of all types gets hot and nothing should be left hanging over or near lights as it may well catch fire."

Station manager Simon Belcher added: "The staff did just the right thing. When they found a fire they smashed the fire alarm call point to get their colleagues out, got out themselves and called the fire service."

The O2 Academy say it is 'business as usual' for tonight's shows.

A spokesman said: "The fire services were alerted this afternoon to our venue after we smelt  smoke from a dressing room. We’re pleased to say no damage was caused to the room or our venues and the local fire services responded very quickly to assess the scene and were happy with our procedures.

"It’s business as usual tonight, we have two separate shows with Avatar and Walking On Cars going ahead as planned."