Tunnel bosses were warned
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.AUTHORITIES IN the Mont Blanc area were given a report last December concluding that the 34-year-old tunnel lacked vital access for firefighters and that the ventilation system was inadequate for the two million vehicles that use it each year.
It is just over a month since the prefect, or government representative on the French side of Mont Blanc, signed the safety certificate for the tunnel, despite the fact that the report described the tunnel as having "serious safety problems".
Kent Fire Brigade's Senior Divisional Officer and Commander of the Channel Tunnel station, Ian Muir, yesterday told The Independent how the French, Italian and Swiss firefighters would have gone about tackling the blaze, and why putting it out took so long.
Though he has yet to confer with his European colleagues, Mr Muir said that the lack of a separate access tunnel will have been the major obstacle."Large numbers of personnel and large amounts of equipment extended over a great distance make this a difficult operation. If it's very hot the turnover of personnel can be pretty quick," he said. In all tunnels there is a prevailing wind or breeze and firefighters enter the tunnel with this at their backs, Mr Muir said. "In a single bore [tunnel] the smoke has got to go in one direction, firefighters will come in behind that and form a bridgehead."
The firefighters will have found the nearest place to the fire from which it is safe to form this bridgehead, a base camp from which to liaise with the main command outside. "As well as an attack plan they will also have been looking for a withdrawal plan in case things go wrong," Mr Muir said.
The length of the tunnel is likely to have made this plan more difficult and forced the firefighters' bridgehead to be further away from the 1,000C fire than they would have wished.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments