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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Simon Usborne

You don’t know about the Denmark Place fire because its 37 victims didn’t count

The Denmark Place building after the deadly fire on 16 August 1980.
The Denmark Place building after the deadly fire on 16 August 1980. Photograph: London Fire Brigade

One of my earliest memories is hearing about the fire that killed 31 people at King’s Cross underground station in 1987. It rightly triggered a public inquiry, safety improvements, memorial services – and the installation of plaques in the station and a nearby church. Diana, Princess of Wales visited the scene.

Seven years before that, a fire killed 37 people inside two nightclubs in central London – and everyone forgot about it.

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