France/Britain

Channel tunnel may open Saturday as firefighters beat blaze

Article published on the 2008-09-12 Latest update 2008-09-12 10:49 TU

A rescue helicopter lands at the Eurotunnel fire station in Coquelles, northern France
(Photo: Reuters)

The French rail company, SNCF, says that train service through the Channel tunnel may resume on Saturday. The fire which broke out Thursday has been brought under control. Lorry-drivers who escaped the blaze say they had to smash open windows after escape doors failed to open.

Eurotunnel boss Jacques Gounon says that the fire in the Channel tunnel is under control and that there would be a safety check during the day.

Officials say that firefighters are now putting out the flames and checking that there are no small fires still alight.

Fifty Eurostars, carrying about 30,000 people between Britain and the continent, should have run on Friday but the SNCF says "there will be no traffic today, maybe tomorrow".

The 32 lorry-drivers on board smashed windows to escape and get into the service tunnel before being evacuated. Six people were injured, none of them seriously.

According to the drivers, the exit doors failed to open.

"There was panic because the doors wouldn’t open," lorry-driver Patrick told the French radio station France Info. "Everything was jammed. The door that we needed to leave by was jammed. Everybody tried hitting it, jumping and somebody had thought to bring a hammer from I don’t know where and broken a window."

"It’s the last time I take the shuttle," he adds. "I was one of the first but now it’s over. Now I’m frightened."

Firefighters fought the blaze through the night, working in relays. They say that the heat reached about 1,000°C.

Officials suspect that the blaze, which broke out Friday afternoon on a freight shuttle 12 kilometres from the French side of the 50 kilometre tunnel, started in a lorry's overheated braking system and spread to two other trucks.

One of the lorries was carrying phenol acid but it did not catch fire.