The call slip information, was sent by Wembley Control on the evening of Wednesday 18th November 1987. Little did anyone know the gravity of this turn out; to what appeared to be just like any of the hundreds of calls to the London Underground!
King's Cross was, and still is, London's busiest underground station. Five different underground lines meet at this point; they are The Piccadilly, Northern, Victoria, Metropolitan and Circle Lines. Up to 100,000 people use the station every day. Some used it to get to and from work; others to visit many of the City's famous sights.
At around 19.29, a passenger, using one of the escalators, noticed white smoke coming from beneath the wooden escalator on which he was travelling. He reported this to a ticket-clerk within the booking hall. Shortly afterwards, another passenger also saw smoke. This passenger hit the Emergency Stop Button to bring the escalator to a halt. He also shouted at people behind him to get off the escalator, telling them it was alight. At 19.35 yet another passenger became alarmed when he saw smoke and smelt burning rubber. He too noticed flames under the side of the escalator and, on reaching the concourse area, told two Police Officers of his concerns. These Officers had noticed the passenger earlier hit the Stop Button and were about to investigate the matter. As the escalator stopped, another passenger at the bottom also noticed smoke, this time grey with flames at about half-way up, underneath the escalator steps. This passenger then made her way to another escalator and upon reaching the top, she informed a member of the London Transport Police. They both went to the top of the escalator where the fire had been seen, and both could see thicker smoke, but no fire from this point. One of the police officers then went up to street level in order to summons assistance on his police radio. The radios were unable to work within the underground.
This first call was received by London's Wembley control room at 19.36. King's Cross Underground station is on Euston fire stations ground, but Euston's appliances were already out on another incident, so Soho took their place on the attendance.
The Officer-in-Charge of A24 - Soho, Red Watch was Colin Townsley. He and his crew, on Soho's Pump Ladder, would now be the first to arrive at the incident. When they arrived they positioned their appliance in St. Pancras Road, next to the St.Pancras entrance to King's Cross underground Station. Station Officer Townsley and a crew of 3 firefighters entered the station concourse to investigate the call. At first they could find no signs of a fire, but upon reaching the top of No.4 escalator, they could see a fire burning some 20 feet down from the top of this escalator. Station Officer Townsley then ordered them to return to the appliance and rig in BA. The next appliance, a pump ladder from Clerkenwell now arrived, the officer-in-charge and crew of this appliance entered the station concourse, and on immediately smelling smoke he ordered the crew to return and also rig in BA. He and one of his crew, who remained with him, then met up with Station Officer Townsley at the top of the burning escalator. At this meeting, Colin Townsley told the Clerkenwell Oic that they would need BA sets and to "Make Pumps Four".
Manchester Square's pump had now arrived and their appliance commander now also entered the concourse. On seeing the situation, he also instructed his crew to return to the appliance and don BA. He also asked them to return with a jet.
By now, three of the crew from Clerkenwell had returned in BA and were standing by the ticket barriers. Station Officer Townsley approached them and asked their Leading Fireman to go back and "Make Pumps Four, Persons Reported." Passengers at this time were still coming up the escalator from the Victoria line and into the concourse.
Within moments of giving the order to "Make Pumps Four, Persons Reported" a loud crash was heard, and a thick mass of smoke was seen to bellow along at ceiling level in the concourse. The Station Officer from Manchester Square then ran to the escalator from the Victoria line and yelled for the passengers coming up the escalator to run back down the escalator to escape the fire. He met a badly burned man here and after helping him to the bottom of the escalator, then found a fire extinguisher to cool his burns. It is believed that Station Officer Townsley had run for the exit, shouting for passengers and staff to evacuate the underground concourse area. While doing so, he saw a collapsed woman who had collapsed when the wall of heat, caused by a flash-over hit her. He went to her assistance, but he too succumbed to the intense heat and collapsed. In only seconds, a mass of heat, smoke and flames had erupted from the head of No.4 escalator, completely engulfing the station concourse. Clerkenwell's crew didn't even have time to start up their BA sets. They simply had to run for their lives, dragging some fortunate passengers to safety at the same time. All this time they could hear the tragic screams of those caught in the flames and heat of the burning hell that the concourse had become.
Crews now arriving at King's Cross were met by the sight of thick smoke punching from the exits from the underground station. They readied jets to enter the inferno and, on entering, were met by an intense wall of heat that would burn the ears of even the most hardened fireman. One of the problems firefighters faced was due to the trains still running deep below ground. Every time a train entered the station it blew air upwards, towards the concourse and then, when leaving, drew air from the surface, both further helping feed the inferno, causing flames to erupt into what seemed like another flash-over.
Somehow, passengers were still managing to escape the fire, many severely burned, and all having to be given assistance, often in the hopeless task of trying to save their lives. Soon other fire crews were starting to arrive, alongside police and ambulances. The Leading Fireman running the BA control board outside was overwhelmed by the number of BA tallies he had had to deal with. (Normally a BA control board could hold a maximum of 12 tallies, he had over 40 to look after!) The original crew from Soho now re-entered the underground concourse from the St. Pancras entrance, protected by a jet played on them. They immediately found a woman and removed her to street level, but she was so burned they could do nothing to help her. They left her with firefighters on the surface and returned into the incident. They had only gone in a few feet, when they found a fireman's helmet. This was the helmet of their "gov'nor". From here they dragged him from the station to the street, where they attempted to resuscitate him, before an ambulance crew took over the task.
That night crews worked in conditions akin to their worst nightmare. A heat so intense that it would melt a fireman's plastic leggings! Sights that no amount of experience could prepare you for; as body after body, many burned beyond recognition, were discovered in that underground furnace.
Television pictures, shown around the world, would show firefighters slumped against railings or sitting on pavements, having given their last ounce of strength in the often vain attempt to save lives.
By the time the fire was extinguished, 31 people lay dead; including Station Officer Townsley who had perished in his brave attempt to save a stranger, rather than save himself. Over 60 others were injured, many seriously. The last victim of the fire wasn't identified until some 16 years later, until then he had been known simply as Tag No. 115.
On Friday, 27th November, London's streets came to a standstill as Soho Fire Station's four watches said goodbye to their "Guv".
Station Officer Colin Townsley was carried upon a turntable ladder to his final resting place. He was later to be posthumously awarded the George Medal for Gallantry by the Queen. This medal was accepted by his parents on his behalf.
Discuss the Kings Cross fire in our