KINGS CROSS FIRE - LONDON 2007

from the LONDON FIRE JOURNAL

On Nov. 18, 1987, a flash fire en!lfe" an ol" #oo"en es$alator at the %in&s 'ross !n"erro!n"
station. (hirt) one *eo*le *erishe" in that "isaster in$l!"in a firefihter + 'olin (o#nsle),
station offi$er from the ,oho Fire ,tation in $entral Lon"on. (#o other firefihters #ere tra**e"
on the station *latform + at the -ottom of the es$alator + -!t s!rvive".
..(he thi$/ hanin smell of the fire linere" in the t!-e station *assae#a)s for months
after#ar"s,&& $omm!ter An"re# 0r)"e tol" the 11'.
A "is$ar"e" mat$h a**arentl) inite" rease an" r!--ish in a ma$hine room -eneath es$alator
servin the 0i$a"ill) Line, even tho!h smo/in #as -anne" on the Lon"on Un"erro!n" after a
fire at the O2for" 'ir$!s station a fe# )ears earlier.
..I remem-er the ma$hine rooms !n"er the es$alators thro!ho!t the Un"erro!n" s)stem -efore
the fire !se" to -e "is!stin *la$es $overe" in oil an" rime,&& ele$tri$ian %arl 3os/in tol" the
11'. ..1!t #ithin a ver) short s*a$e of time after the fire the) -e$ame so $lean )o! $o!l" have
almost eaten )o!r "inner from the floor4&&
(o#nsle) an" his $re# from ,oho #ere first "!e at %in&s 'ross that niht follo#e" -) the $re#
at the 'ler/en#ell station. Firefihters from the near-) E!ston fire station #ere at another alarm
at Universit) 'ollee 3os*ital. ,oon thereafter, the ,oho firefihters ra"ioe" for assistan$e +
56a/e 0!m*s Fo!r 0ersons Re*orte"7 an" E!ston res*on"e".
(he fire es$alate" to a ..89 *!m*&& in$i"ent + e:!ivalent to a ..eneral alarm&& in the U.,.
Investigator's Report
0a!l ;rim#oo", #ho #as a fire investiator #ith the Lon"on Fire 1ria"e at the time, *rovi"e"
the follo#in re*ort to the #e- site Fire (a$ti$s<
%ins 'ross !n"erro!n" station is one of the -!siest on Lon"on&s &t!-e& rail#a) net#or/ servin
over 199,999 *asseners "!rin *ea/ ho!rs. At a**ro2imatel) 7.8= *m on the evenin of the fire,
smo/e #as seen $omin from one of the #oo"en es$alators that #as trans*ortin *asseners !*
from the *latform levels to the ti$/etin hall.
(he Lon"on Fire 1ria"e "is*at$he" > enines an" an aerial la""er as the $all #as re$eive" at
7.8? *m an" the first of these arrive" on s$ene at 7.>=*m. A team of firefihters #ent "o#n from
street level into the ti$/etin hall from #here the) $o!l" see a fire -!rnin a-o!t =9 feet "o#n
the es$alator shaft #ith fo!r feet hih flames emerin from the es$alator stairs. At this stae
there #ere still *asseners e2itin from the *latforms -elo# in an or"erl) manner.
As firefihters ret!rne" to street level to $olle$t hose an" -reathin a**arat!s three offi$ers
remaine" in the ti$/etin hall to s!*ervise the eva$!ation of *asseners. @hilst t#o of them
-ean a "es$ent "o#n to#ar"s the *latforms to *revent f!rther !se of this es$alator as an e2it
ro!te, the senior offi$er + ,tation Offi$er 'olin (o#nsle) + remaine" in the ti$/etin hall at the
to* of the es$alator shaft.
Flames eplo!e
6ore from ;rim#oo" ....
At 7.>A*m the fire s!""enl) er!*te" !* into the ti$/etin hall an" $reate" severe $on"itions
li/ene" to that of a flashover. At street level thi$/ vol!mes of -la$/ smo/e -ean to emere from
the station entran$es an" a lare n!m-er of s$reamin *asseners e2ite" into the street. (he fire
-!rne" for several ho!rs /illin 81 *eo*le in$l!"in ,oho&s ,tation Offi$er 'olin (o#nsle) #ho
"ie" tr)in to res$!e a #oman from the -laBin ti$/etin hall as the fire s!""enl) er!*te".
Firefihters attem*tin to re+enter the ti$/etin hall to fiht the fire li/ene" the $on"itions as
similar to $lim-in "o#n into a vol$ano.
Cario!s theories #ere *!t for#ar" as to #hat $a!se" the & flashover li/e& $on"itions as the fire
s!""enl) er!*te" into the ti$/etin hall. In terms of s$ientifi$ "efinition the event "i" not
$onform to the !niversal a$$e*tan$e of #hat $onstit!tes a &flashover&. 'onsi"eration #as iven to
the *ossi-ilt) of an inition of fire ases that ma) have a$$!m!late" #ithin the ti$/etin hall
#here s!$h an event #o!l" -e more $losel) a$$e*te" in "efinition to that of a &-a$/"raft&.
F!rther tho!ht #as "ire$te" at the li/elihoo" of the es$alator fire -ein *!she" !*#ar"s in the
shaft -) a &*iston effe$t& as trains arrivin at *latforms for$e" a maDor airflo# o!t of the t!nnels
an" !* into the ti$/etin hall. 3o#ever, mathemati$al mo"elin an" $om*!ter sim!lations
*romote" a ne# theor) of ra*i" fire "evelo*ment #ithin in$line" shafts #ith $om-!sti-le
s!rfa$es terme" tren$h effe$t.
It #as esta-lishe" that on$e the tren$h effe$t -e$ame esta-lishe", the &*iston effe$t& from trains
#o!l" not have *la)e" an im*ortant role in the ra*i" s*rea" of the fire !* the es$alator an" into
the ti$/etin hall. (his tren$h effe$t #as seen to $a!se hot ases in the -!o)ant *l!me to la)
alon the es$alator s!rfa$e an" $reate a ra*i" airflo# #hi$h $a!se" these ases to $!rl over an"
over to#ar"s the ne2t ste*s a-ove. (he airflo#s in the tren$h in$rease" in *ro*ortion to the siBe
of the fire, event!all) $reatin a flamethro#er t)*e effe$t !* an" into the ti$/etin hall.
3o#ever, it is $ertain that a lare :!antit) of !n-!rne" $om-!stion *ro"!$ts E*)rol)BatesF
e2iste" in the smo/e an" fire ases formin at $eilin level in the -oo/in hall at the hea" of the
es$alator as the fire rea$he" this stae of ra*i" fire *roress. It is also a**arent, from firefihters
a$$o!nts, that the *iston effe$t "i" *la) a maDor *art at vario!s staes of the fire&s "evelo*ment in
$reatin a more intense fire as trains *asse" thro!h the station t!nnels some levels -elo# the
es$alator itself.
(he $a!se of the fire #as "is$overe" -) Lon"on Fire 1ria"e investiators to have res!lte" from
the most li/el) "is$ar"ment of a lihte" mat$h Esmo/er&s materialF -) a *assener on e2it from
the s)stem an" stron evi"en$e e2iste" that "emonstrate" several smaller fires of this t)*e ha"
o$$!rre" in the *ast on this es$alator -!t never *roresse" -e)on" a small self e2tin!ishin fire
that *ro-a-l) #ent !nnoti$e". ,!-se:!ent tests $onfirme" the li/elihoo" of s!$h a fire -ein a-le
to "evelo* -e)on" a stae of self e2tin!ishment #hen lo$ate" in the rease tra$/ that e2iste"
!n"er the es$alator. (here ha" also -een several small fires on other !n"erro!n" stations in
Lon"on that involve" #oo"en es$alators.
Altho!h the evi"en$e #as heavil) #eihte" to#ar"s the $areless "is$ar"ment of a lihte"
smo/er&s mat$h as a $a!se of the fire there ha" -een re*orts of an earlier in$i"ent in the evenin
on an a"Da$ent es$alator in a near-) shaft that raise" the :!estion as to #hether the %ins 'ross
fire $o!l" have -een $a!se" mali$io!sl). (here ha" -een several a$$o!nts -) #itnesses #ho
"es$ri-e" a small fire e2istin at the -ase of an es$alator in the Ci$toria line shaft D!st min!tes
-efore the re*orte" fire in the 0i$$a"ill) line shaft that *roresse" into a maDor $onflaration.
(his smaller fire involve" an item of -!rnin *a*er that a**eare" to have -een rolle" !* an"
thro#n "o#n the shaft from or near the to* of the es$alator.
Fennel Investigation
(he fire le" to ne# safet) re!lations, a$$or"in to the online en$)$lo*e"ia @i/i*e"ia<
(he Fennell Investiation into the fire *rom*te" the intro"!$tion of the Fire 0re$a!tions E,!-+
s!rfa$e Rail#a) ,tationsF Re!lations 1989 E!s!all) referre" to as the ,e$tion 1= Re!lations
-e$a!se the) #ere intro"!$e" !n"er se$tion 1= of the 1971 Fire 0re$a!tions A$tF. (hese le" to<
the re*la$ement of all #oo"en es$alators on the Un"erro!n"G the man"ator) installation of
a!tomati$ s*rin/lers an" heat "ete$tors in es$alatorsG man"ator) fire safet) trainin for all station
staff t#i$e a )earG an" im*rovements in emeren$) servi$es liaison.
*oste" -) LONDON FIRE JOURNAL at 7H18H=99A