Trial Graphics- Fire Dynamics (212) 789-9077

Trial Graphics- Forensic Investigation

Trial Graphics
London Underground
Forensic Fire Investigation

A fire erupts in the Kings Cross Underground Station in London, England, 31 people are killed and dozens are injured. Forensic Fire Investigators were able to pinpoint the cause of the fire, but it would take state-of-the-art computer technology and experts in the field of fluid dynamics to analyze accident recreations to explain this deadly inferno.

How the Fire Started

The fire started on an escalator between the Piccadilly Line platforms and the ticket hall at King's Cross St. Pancras tube station. The fire was the result of a discarded match or cigarette igniting debris, detritus and grease beneath the wooden escalators.

Forensic investigators found burn patterns and evidence that similar fires had started previously but these fire did not have enough fuel to burn long enough to spread. When investigators checked a nearby escalator, they found that the wood on the bottom of the escalator was burned in at least 18 different places. All of these spots were on the right side of the escalator, which is precisely where passengers are most likely to light a cigarette. Passengers would stand off to the right side to let the traffic pass them on the left.

There was a ban on smoking for at least two years, but investigators found that this was for the most part ignored by the passengers.

The forensic investigation revealed a large collection of grease and oil under the tracks. It was initially thought that it would be hard to ignite this grease and that it would burn very slowly if it were to actually ignite. However, the grease and oil was also matted with paper fragments, ticket stubs, candy wrappers, clothing scraps. The train station records showed that the areas under the escalator had not been cleaned since the escalator was first built in 1940.

The forensic investigators conducted a test to see if lit matches were the cause of the fire. Lit matches were dropped onto the grease and debris and the fire immediately began to spread. The fire burned for approximately seven minutes before being extinguished. There was no evidence or proof suggesting any reason why the fire would have flashed up the escalator in the manner that eyewitnesses had described.

TMBA created a series of animations that describe these events and the forensic investigation, based on the report from the London Fire Brigade, for the series "Extreme Evidence" (Court TV).