3 ms·
IIRC the root cause was a 50 year build-up of grease, rat fur, ticket stubs, cigarette butts, and matches in the tracks that the steps rolled on. They had never
by Paperweight 8y ago
IIRC the root cause was a 50 year build-up of grease, rat fur, ticket stubs, cigarette butts, and matches in the tracks that the steps rolled on. They had never been cleaned. One day a smoker dropped a match in just the right spot...
- jdietrich 8y agoFluff was the tinder, but the wooden escalator treads (along with layers of old paint and some temporary wooden hoardings) were the fuel that turned it into a mass fatality. The fire was so deadly because of a sudden flashover, engulfing the ticket hall at the top of the escalator in flames and acrid black smoke. If the escalator treads had been metal, the fire would have progressed much more slowly and been limited in intensity.