Euston fire sparks inspection demand

The potential for a major disaster was only avoided by the actions of a vigilant member of staff, who detected the smoke coming from underneath an elevator and activated the manual evacuation procudure.

RMT said on Monday that it had written to London Underground requesting that all fire detection equipment be inspected within the next 72 hours under fire regulations which were introduced after the 1987 King's Cross fire.

Another fire alert was again raised by Tube station staff last Friday in the morning rush hour at Oxford Circus when an air conditioning unit ignited.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The two recent fire incidents show that it is trained staff at station level who are critical when it comes to spotting potential danger - yet these are the very staff that Transport for London are looking to axe in a cull of 800 Tube station posts."

The union will also leaflet rush-hour passengers at Euston station on Wednesday to raise awareness about the cuts.

Members are currently being balloted for industrial action which will close on Wednesday.