20 years since King's Cross fire

Updated 10.11 Sun Nov 18 2007

Keywords: King's Cross

The 20th anniversary of the King's Cross Tube station fire is being marked with a wreath laying ceremony.

Breaking out at 7.30pm on November 18 1987, the blaze exploded into a fireball on reaching the ticket hall and took nearly six hours to extinguish.

"If hell exists, it was on display that night" - Peter Gidley

The fire claimed 31 lives, and 60 people were injured.

It is thought it was started by a smoker's dropped match, and while smoking was subsequently banned everywhere on the Tube it took the prohibition on smoking in public places in England this July to get it banned on mainline station concourses.

Recalling the scene later, rail passenger Peter Gidley said he was on the mainline station concourse and saw "thick black smoke belching from all the Underground exits".

He added: "If hell exists, it was on display that night."

In February 1988, Desmond Fennell QC headed a public inquiry into the disaster. Hearings lasted until June 24 of that year and his recommendations led to a tightening of safety on the Underground.