Fire
The Channel Tunnel is a 50.45-kilometre (31.35 mi) long undersea railway tunnel linking Folkestone in the United Kingdom with Coquelles near Calais in northern France. A 4.8-metre (16 ft) diameter service tunnel is positioned between two 7.6 m (25 ft) diameter running tunnels each with standard gauge rail track with an overhead line energised at 25 kV 50 Hz. There are connecting passages from the running tunnels to the service tunnel every 375 m (1,230 ft) and piston relief ducts connect the running tunnels managing the pressure changes due to the movement of trains. Ventilation is provided from both France and the UK and in the event of a fire a supplementary ventilation system is available. There are crossovers linking the two rail tracks at the tunnel entrances and in two caverns under the sea, dividing the running tunnels into six 'intervals'. The system is controlled from a control centre in the UK terminal with a stand-by centre on the French side.
The tunnel carries through traffic in the form of high-speed Eurostar passenger trains and international rail freight trains. Two types of Eurotunnel Shuttle transport vehicles between the terminals – an enclosed type carrying coaches, cars and passengers with their vehicles and an open lattice type carrying Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV), their drivers travelling in an amenity coach.
On 18 November 1996, at 21:48, a fire about 2 m by 2 m (6 ft by 6 ft) was seen on HGV Shuttle No. 7539, carrying 31 passengers and three crew, as it entered the French portal. The driver was told there was a fire on his train and that he would be diverted to the emergency siding on arrival in the UK. When the fire was confirmed a few minutes later the control centre restricted the speed of all trains in the tunnels to 100 km/h (62 mph) and attempted to close the piston relief ducts and doors in the crossover caverns to limit the area affected by smoke. Five minutes later a train fault with risk of derailment was indicated to the driver and the train was brought to a controlled stop adjacent to door leading to the service tunnel, at 21:58 and about 19 km (12 mi) from the French portal. After stopping power from the overhead line was lost and smoke filled the tunnel; crew members could not see the service tunnel doors. Smoke began to enter the coach and the crew and passengers suffered from smoke inhalation. The supplementary ventilation system was turned on and ran for seven minutes with the blades set incorrectly, until the blades were set correctly and the smoke cleared sufficiently for the passengers and crew to evacuate. Twenty six passengers and driver were taken out of the tunnel by a tourist shuttle that had stopped in the adjacent running tunnel, the remaining people being treated on site before being taken out via the service tunnel. All people were taken to hospital in France for observation.
Read more about this topic: 1996 Channel Tunnel Fire
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