New Cross house fire

New Cross house fire
Date18 January 1981; 43 years ago (18 January 1981)
LocationNew Cross Road, New Cross, south-east, London, United Kingdom
TypeFire
Deaths13 (direct); 1 (suicide)

A blue circular plaque sits on the exterior of a brick building’s wall. The plaque reads “New Cross Fire took place on this site on January 18, 1981 claiming the lives of 14 young people.” The outer ring of the plaque reads “Nubian Jak Community Trust; Lewisham Borough Council”
Blue plaque erected by Nubian Jak Community Trust at 439 New Cross Road, London SE14 6TA

The New Cross house fire was a fire that occurred during a party at a house in New Cross, south-east London, in the early hours of Sunday, 18 January 1981. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor killed himself two years later.[1]

No one has ever been charged in connection with the fire, which forensic science subsequently established started inside the house. Inquests into the deaths were held in 1981 and 2004. Both inquests recorded open verdicts.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, a New Cross Massacre Action Committee (NCMAC) was set up, chaired by John La Rose, which organised a "Black People's Day of Action" on 2 March 1981, when some 20,000 people marched over a period of eight hours through London, carrying placards that bore statements including: "13 Dead, Nothing Said".[2]

  1. ^ Bowcott, Owen (3 February 2004). "Inquest begins into 14 victims of 1981 fire". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GPI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).