Towards the end of the evening at Russia or on the 18th of November 1987, a fire swept through parts of King Cross St. Pancras station in the London Underground.
Although there was no smoking allowed on the trains, passengers would often light up on their way out of stations leading investigators to believe that this fire was started by the scattered match dropped down the side of one of the old wooden escalators serving the Piccadilly line which ignited rubbish and grease in the track.
The station was in two parts, a sub surface section has in the circle of Metropolitan Lines and the deep leveled tube giving access to the Northern Piccadillian Victoria Lines. This is the area most badly affected by the fire particularly the engine seats and ticket hall.
At first, people believed the fire was small. But the draft in winds caused by rains coming in and out of the stations added to its speed and fueled a phenomenon that became known as the Trench Effect which cause it to flash over in the fireball that dressed consequences.
The inferno was also exacerbated by a solvent used in the paint on the ceiling above the escalators. In all, thirty one people were killed and over sixty seven injuries ranging from burns to smoke inhalation.
One of the dead was firefighter Collin Townsley who is awarded a posthumous Certificate of Commendation for bravery. The last fighter to be named was 72-year-old Alexander Fallon of Falkirk. Fallon had been living rough in London and consequently took until January 2004 before forensic evidence finally uncovered his identity.
As a result of the fire, all wooden escalators were replaced with metal ones and smoking anywhere on the tube system’s totally banned. But even so, as of 1991, a report found that had of 26 safety recommendations made at that time only eight had been probably carried out.
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