The thick smoke engulfed the ticket hall, obscuring the exits and hampering rescue efforts. The offence of corporate manslaughter (known as corporate homicide in Scotland) allows a corporation to be punished for conduct that leads to a persons death. Finally, Id like to note that the Inquiry recognised the dedication of response teams, especially the London Fire Brigade: It is clear that a large number of members of the London Fire Brigade behaved with conspicuous courage and devotion to duty during the disaster in which they lost a very brave officer, Station Officer Townsley. We continue to look for ways to improve customer service. The then Princess of Wales unveiled a plaque at the splendid St Pancras Church opposite Euston Station, this plaque supplementing two erected within the station itself, along with a dainty clock. [29] The police decided that the fire had not been started deliberately, as there was no evidence that an accelerant had been used and access to the site of the fire was difficult. What is Corporate Manslaughter and How Does it Work? [17] On a television program about the fire, an official described King's Cross underground station's layout as "an efficient furnace". Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. kings cross fire 1987 corporate manslaughter He joined them, heading up an escalator back into the ticket hall from the underground platform. This system was not designed for occasional emergency use, but for regular nightly use, in order to wet the machinery, and dampen any of these regular smoulderings. Staff were woefully ill-equipped to deal with the emergency, doing their best using common sense in the absence of training and supervision. A small part of a lift motor room was damaged by fire. 3075 E Imperial Hwy Ste 200, Brea, CA 92821-6753. Thirty-one men and women die in that fierce and fearsome flashover including the the firefighter in charge, station officer Colin J Townsley (who was awarded the George Medal posthumously). It seems that management were complacent, and had been lulled into a false sense of security, as no previous escalator fire had caused a death. The King's Cross fire that claimed the lives of 31 people lead to better fire safety regulation and helped companies like Wrightstyle gain a better understanding of an unknown dynamic in how a small fire can become a conflagration. The fire was under control at 9:48pm and was out at 01:46am on 19 November. As the North Sea industry marks the 20-year anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, it seems fitting to take stock of the resultant changes, and in particular to note raised awareness of health and safety issues and ask whether all lessons may have been fully learned? [56] Further commemoration services were held on 18 November 2002, the 15th anniversary of the blaze, on the 20th anniversary in 2007 at the station itself,[56] on the 25th anniversary in 2012 at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament near the station,[57] and on the 30th anniversary in 2017 at the station, with the laying of a wreath.