Overview

The King’s Cross Fire in November 1987 was the worst fatal fire that has ever been seen on the London Underground.

More than 100 people were badly injured and 31 people died in the disaster, including a London Fire Brigade officer who was fighting to save members of the public from the blaze.

The fire was found to have started from a dropped lit match, which set fire to litter and grease beneath the wooden escalator on the Piccadilly line, and soon spread, before a fireball erupted from the stairwell into the ticket hall, killing and injuring many people.

The London Fire Brigade, British Transport Police, London Ambulance Service and other emergency services and members of rail staff desperately tried to save as many people as possible.

The subsequent investigation and public inquiry into the fire brought about monumental changes to the underground system and to the emergency services’ response to major incidents.