King's Cross fire 25th anniversary to be marked (BBC News 18/11/2012)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

The 25th anniversary of the fire at King's Cross Underground station is to be marked by a union raising concerns over Tube safety standards.


A dropped match is thought to have started the blaze which claimed the lives of 31 people

Thirty one people died when a fire on a wooden escalator engulfed part of the London station on 18 November 1987.

The blaze is thought to have been started by a dropped match and led to a smoking ban at Tube stations.

Members of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union have gathered at the station to commemorate the fire and highlight safety fears.


The remains of the King's Cross booking hall after the fire in 1987

Staffing call

Bob Crow, the union's general secretary said: "Due to a culture of complacency and systemic failure, 31 people lost their lives at King's Cross."

He has called for London Mayor Boris Johnson to withdraw the threat of cuts to staffing levels and maintenance schedules and abandon plans to introduce more driverless trains.

Frank Dobson, the local Labour MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) since 1979, said such tragedies highlighted the need for stations to be "properly staffed".

"There are all sorts of propositions put forward by people 'Oh, you can get rid of these staff and you can rid of others' and then there's even this idea of getting rid of drivers on the Underground trains, which may be all very well until something goes wrong."

London Underground's chief operating officer said the Tube was now one of the safest railways in Europe.

Howard Collins said: "Our stations are staffed at all times while services are operating and we have been absolutely clear that we will never compromise on safety."

Improved safety

More than 100 people were taken to hospital after the King's Cross fire, after becoming trapped as the escalator went up in flames.

About 150 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus fought the blaze. One of them - fireman Colin Townsley - was among the dead.

He was awarded, posthumously, a certificate of commendation for his bravery, as were five other firemen who survived.

In 2004, the final victim of the blaze was finally identified as 72-year-old Alexander Fallon, a Scottish man living rough in London at the time.

Following the public inquiry after the fire, London Underground invested in heat and smoke detection systems, automatic sprinkler systems, CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) and improved public address systems.

Wooden escalators were phased out in favour of metal replacements and smoking was banned at stations. It had already been banned on Underground trains.

Nobody has ever been prosecuted over the fire. The Director of Public Prosecutions and the Railway Inspectorate said there was "no justification" for charges.

[JayMac]

I try and avoid commenting immediately on news items I've posted but....

I think it just a little inappropriate for Bob Crow and Frank Dobson to use the anniversary to score political points. It should be about remembrance for those who lost their lives and for acknowledgement of the work of the emergency services, particularly the fire service, one of whom died in the fire. Not to forget the health care professionals who tended to the scores injured.

The political arguments can and should be for another day.

[bobm]

I totally agree with your sentiments BNM.

I vividly remember that night.  I was covering the Reading v Bradford City football match that evening and as the tragedy unfolded the football became less and less important.  It was particularly poignant as it was two years after the Valley Parade fire at Bradford City - and Reading had been the last team to complete a game there the week before the disaster.

[johoare]

Hopefully it's appropriate to put this here.. but I was at St Pancras that night (walking from Great Portland Steet fortunately).. These are my thoughts/experiences:

1. For anyone that knows St Pancras as it used to be.. the heat coming out of the tube entrance tunnels was intense..

2. The "reporter" who chose to run down one of those tunnels (so he could be faster than the police) to get a story (!!)..

3. The fact that no mobile phones (25 years ago!!) meant my family waiting at home were watching all the news reports.. and in the non mobile age I had no idea exactly what had just happened so didn't even know I had to tell them I was ok...

4.. The horrible burnt smell on the tube out of St Pancras the next morning..

[Chris from Nailsea]

There is also a video report on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News site:

Today is the 25th anniversary of the fire at King's Cross station, in London.

31 people died when a discarded match is believed to have set fire to a wooden escalator.

Smoking was banned in all Underground stations five days afterwards and wooden escalators were phased out.

Nobody was ever prosecuted. Steven Hobson reports.

I found it evocative watching the assembled fire service and police officers at street level, looking down that stairwell but unable even to see what they were trying to deal with, due to the dense smoke billowing up from below ...