The Technical Investigation of the Fire at London's King's Cross Underground Station

Abstract

The behaviour of the fire at London's King's Cross Underground Station on November 18, 1987, was the subject of a prolonged and detailed scientific investigation by the Health and Safety Executive on behalf of the Official Enquiry. In the initial stages of the investigation, a detailed damage survey was made at the site of the fire, and samples of many different materials were collected and subjected to a variety of ignition and flame spread tests. In the course of the investigation, fire growth studies were made on a fulil-size section of escalator, on scale models of the escalator, shaft and ticket hall, and by numerical modelling.

A Critical Review of Current Crisis Simulation Methodology

“…[15], and it quickly spread into a flashover, engulfing the whole ticket hall with flame and smoke. The flashover was later identified as an unexpected phenomenon exacerbated by the 'Trench Effect', which was brought about by combining three factors: 'the slope of the escalator', 'the trench profile which affected the later movement of air and hot combustion products', and 'the presence of flammable materials on the floor and sides of the trench' [29]. The fire was finally taken under control at 21:48, but 31 people had been killed.…”

Risk assessment assumptions

“…This may be called the 'slope effect'. While the slope effect is not the same as the trench effect (a trench having side walls) the 1971 paper should have, in principle, alerted people to the strong possibility of rapid flame spread up escalators; before the theoretical and experimental modelling which took place after the fire [38][39][40].…”

We Don't Know What We Don't Know

“…This may be called the 'slope effect'. While the slope effect is not the same as the trench effect ( a trench having side walls) the 1971 paper should have, in principle, alerted people to the strong possibility of rapid flame spread up escalators; before the theoretical and experimental modelling which took place after the fire [27,28,29].…”