1987 Kings Cross Fire

[Trainfan344]

R.i.P to all those that lost their lives 25 years ago today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20383221

The 25th anniversary of the fire at King's Cross Underground station has been marked as unions raise concerns over Tube and fire service cuts.

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 which set alight material below the escalator.

The relatives of victims and members of the fire service gathered at the station to remember those who died.
Staffing call

The Blessed Sacrament church near King's Cross offered a remembrance Mass.

Sophie Tarassenko went to the station to remember her brother Ivan who was 25 when he died.

She laid flowers at the memorial in the station's ticket office.

Sophie Tarassenko, whose brother Ivan died in the fire: "The overwhelming emotion is still sadness"

She said it was important to remember "so that the management today of London Underground and the people who work in it have it uppermost in their minds that it never happens again".

She said: "I'd always hope in a system that carried millions of people a day like an airline, that safety would be the last thing compromised as a result of financial cuts.

"The welfare of the travelling public has to be uppermost."

She added that her overwhelming emotion was still sadness that her brother "never got to live life as he should and that we never got the benefit of his wonderful company as we should".

Bob Crow, the RMT union's general secretary, used the anniversary to highlight the importance of safety.

He 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.
Improved safety

A number of measures were introduced following the fire, including the phasing out of wooden escalators. A ban on smoking in all areas of the Tube had been introduced two years earlier in 1985.

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

Howard Collins said it was "all wrong" of the RMT to "politicise" the event.

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

More than 100 people were taken to hospital after the King's Cross fire.

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

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigade Union, said it was a "terrible irony" that London Fire Brigade was looking at "huge cuts".

He said the closure of 17 fire stations, outlined in a leaked document, would reduce the ability to fight similar fires in the future.

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority has said the plan is to have a slightly smaller number of larger and more modern fire station

 

[Clip]

Indeed. Such a harrowing day that.

I am, however, disappointed with the political posturing that appears in that story.

its not needed on a day of remembrance

 

[ushawk]

So its a day to remember those who lost their lives in a tragic incident which changed the Underground.....yet Bob Crow turns it into protest against staffing cuts - does ANYONE actually listen to him now ? Also pathetic how he is using an incident 25 years ago to make his point.

Incredibly insensitive, how can this man be the head of the RMT ?

 

[Nym]

Is nice to see what's happened in the last 25 years in the way of fire safety on LU, personally I'd say heres to another 25 years of progress. The shape of Kings Cross nowerdays is one of the safest large underground stations there is...

 

[CC 72100]

Indeed. Such a harrowing day that.

I am, however, disappointed with the political posturing that appears in that story.

its not needed on a day of remembrance

Absolutely, couldn't agree more with that. A day of remembrance should be exactly that, not an excuse for politics.

Apart from the linked feature in the OP, has anyone seen any other references to the 25th anniversary today?

 

[SS4]

The article, unlike the OP, makes it very clear that this an RMT event.

 

[Clip]

The article, unlike the OP, makes it very clear that this an RMT event.

No it doesnt and no it wasnt. They hold the same service every singleyear to remember the people who lost their lives.Was held on th e main concourse when the plaque was there beforehand.

 

[Butts]

The article, unlike the OP, makes it very clear that this an RMT event.

Has Bob Crow ever said anything complimentary or positive about Management of any Transport Operator or Government in living memory?

 

[Smudger105e]

Is this a Bob Crow bashing thread now?

He is not the leader of my Trades Union, but are you all saying that he should not say anything about destaffing of stations? It seems that you are reacting to reports in the media.

Mr Crow is elected and has been reelected by his members, so he must be doing what the RMT membership want and expct.

 

[Butts]

Is this a Bob Crow bashing thread now?

He is not the leader of my Trades Union, but are you all saying that he should not say anything about destaffing of stations? It seems that you are reacting to reports in the media.

Mr Crow is elected and has been reelected by his members, so he must be doing what the RMT membership want and expct.

My point was a general one not in relation to any particular incident.

 

[Roverman]

He is re-elected because he gets them massive pay rises and bonuses each year although the way he gets them is not that far from blackmail IMO.

I've never read anywhere that this fire was caused by LU letting stations run on short numbers of staff so I am not sure what point he was trying to make.

As for the FBU well I've never listened to a word they say and thats coming from the son of a retired Fire Officer!

 

[Smudger105e]

My point was a general one not in relation to any particular incident.

Butts, my comment was not directed solely at you, my friend, it was a general observation of various posts in this thread.

 

[Clip]

Butts, my comment was not directed solely at you, my friend, it was a general observation of various posts in this thread.

Still my opinion that you dont use a remembrance service to push your issues of another nature.

 

[dosxuk]

I've never read anywhere that this fire was caused by LU letting stations run on short numbers of staff so I am not sure what point he was trying to make.

There are comments in the formal report that several staff were taking extended meal breaks (an hour and a half instead of 30 minutes), at least one wasn't present and many staff were based in the wrong areas of the station due to development work, and that the lack of staff in the affected areas would have impacted the immediate response to the incident.

However, the report is then very critical of the culture at the time meaning that those staff who were present didn't know what to do, so additional staff presense may actually have hindered the response.