Channel Tunnel Fire Still Burning

Friday 12th September 2008

A fire that began yesterday inside the Channel Tunnel is believed to be under control but still burning.

This is the second most serious fire the tunnel has experienced and is located approximately 11 km away from the French side. It is believed to have begun on a truck shuttle travelling from the British side to the French side of the tunnel and occured at around 3pm GMT.

This is not the first time that the Channel Tunnel has experienced a fire since the much-publicised opening of it in 1994, there have been at minimum of three fires like it in the past.

Unfortunately the original estimates of a small fire were quickly dashed as the seriousness of the incident came to light. Since a serious fire in 1996, new procedures had come into place providing staff working on truck shuttles smoke hoods and torches. This allowed them to escape a fire and smoke filled tunnel environment, as well as preventing disorientation.

The crew and passengers on this most recent of fires have all escaped safely through one of the smaller tunnels built for such a purpose in mind. It has been announced by Eurotunnel that there will be no services operating on Friday and have advised passengers travelling on Saturdays and Sundays to check if services are operating.