Historical events – Kings Cross fire

Posted on August 4, 2015

On 18 November 1987 during rush hour, a fire ripped through the upper ticket hall at King’s Cross Underground Station. Thirty one people died as a result; an inquest returned verdicts of accidental death.

About 150 fire-fighters fought the blaze. One of them, Station Officer Colin Townsley, was among the dead and was posthumously awarded the George Medal for his selfless act of bravery.

After the Kings Cross Fire, a number of measures were introduced which included the phasing out of wooden escalators. A ban on smoking had been introduced two years earlier in 1985.

The saddest part of this tragedy was that it took more than 15 years to identify all of the victims. Alexander Fallon, known as “body 115” after his mortuary tag, wasn’t named until 2004, when his daughter read an article and wondered if 115 might be her father. Thanks to a large scar on his skull, beneath which was an aneurysm clip manufactured by a Japanese firm, Sugita. Fallon’s surgeon confirmed he had used Sugita clips in an operation years previously.