The Eye

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the King’s Cross fire on 18 November, 1987, in which 31 people lost their lives - the highest in an Underground accident since a train crash at Moorgate in 1975 killed 43 people.

Smoking on Underground trains had been banned in July 1984. After a fire at Oxford Circus station the ban was extended to all subsurface stations but smokers often lit cigarettes on the escalators on their way out.

The blaze reportedly began at about 1930 GMT in a machine room under a wooden escalator.

The escalator connected the Piccadilly line - one of five underground train routes which run through King’s Cross - with the mainline station.

The fire started as the evening rush hour was trailing off but hundreds of commuters were still in the station which is London’s busiest.

Many passengers were trapped underground as the escalator went up in flames.

More than 150 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the blaze and searched for survivors.

But they were not able to bring the main fire under control until approximately 2150 GMT.