On 18th November 1996 a train carrying heavy goods vehicles and their drivers through the Channel Tunnel from France to England, caught fire.
No-one was killed, but seven people were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. A locomotive and 10 HGVs were destroyed, major damage was done to about a kilometre of tunnel infrastructure, and the fire presented a severe challenge to fire brigades from France and the UK.
BRE fire experts had been advising the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority (CTSA) since the inception of the project. Fire investigators from BRE carried out the on-site investigation of fire for the CTSA and contributed to the Authority’s report on the incident.
