TV documentaries were also made concerning the disaster, all distributed worldwide and focusing on either safety aspects or the circumstances that turned what should have been a serious, but controllable incident into a disaster. When it was opened it was the worlds longest and deepest road tunnel. In most of these, human negligence is somehow involved. He found Maurice Lebras unconscious, and dragged him into Niche No. Chapter 3 "Lessons learned from recent fires". Road traffic grew steadily until 1994, even with the opening of the Frjus tunnel. It was initiated by a heavy goods vehicle which stopped near the middle of the tunnel and immediately burst into flames. Before they even reached the burning truck, they found themselves in a desperate fight for their own survival. Nothing in the official record suggests his motivation. All of the firefighters were rescued five hours later by a third fire crew that responded and reached them via a ventilation duct; of the 15 firefighters who had been trapped, 14 were in serious condition and one (their commanding officer) later died in the hospital. Without other possibilities, they abandoned their vehicles and took refuge in two of the emergency fire cubicles (fire-door sealed small rooms set into the walls every 600 metres). He entered before there was any formal alert. People think of tunnels as a hole through the ground, he said, but thats not the case anymore. Mr. Tinazzi was most likely the first tunnel employee to realize the Belgian truck was trailing smoke. But in recent weeks I have realized, with a creeping feeling of unease, that it was wrong. A handful of cars U-turned and got back to the French portal, but the heavy trucks could neither turn, nor back up after visibility dropped to about three feet. No.6 Mont Blanc Tunnel fire | New Civil Engineer Family members of the victims of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel accident walk next to sprays of flowers laid in memory of the victims, on March 24, 2009 in Chamonix, French Alps, during a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel disaster in which a truck caught fire and 39 people died. Such was the ferocity of the fire that the rescue workers said it was difficult to tell how many victims had perished in the wreckage. The International Motorcycle Federation, the world governing body of motorcycle sport, presented its highest award to his family. Select from premium Mont Blanc Tunnel of the highest quality. which occurred between 1999 and 2001. [7], The tunnel underwent extensive modernisation works in 1990, including the addition of safety features such new video surveillance cameras, 8 pressurized emergency shelters, a sprinkler system and other safety maintenance. Unfortunately, he failed to return from his final visit into the tunnel and himself became a victim of the tragic inferno. Guilty Verdicts in Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire Trial - DW The Mont Blanc Tunnel was originally managed by the two building companies. Then I discovered it wasn't true", Italian decoration "Medaglia d'Oro al Valore Civile", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pierlucio_Tinazzi&oldid=1143687156, Dying while trying to rescue survivors of the, This page was last edited on 9 March 2023, at 07:59. So you can imagine why newspapers and magazines are not interested in revising [the] account.. The agreement between France and Italy on building a tunnel was signed in 1949. Do not hesitate to send us your comments, questions and suggestions. [5] In 1908, a first design was presented by French engineer Arnold Monod, to much interest from Italian and French politicians. In the United States, the National Fire Protection Association publishes a document with a dry title but life-or-death consequences: NFPA 502: Standard for Road Tunnels, Bridges and Other Limited Access Highways.. They listened as a river of incandescent margarine ignited fuel tanks and burst the tires of abandoned vehicles. . Pierlucio Tinazzi - Wikipedia Reporters wrote background stories about Tinazzi, but had little to go on. A strong breeze created a blast-furnace effect, igniting the fuel in other abandoned vehicles. With a length of 11.6km, the Mont Blanc Tunnel is constructed from one tube through which the traffic flows in both directions. Spadino might have seen something, or heard something from one of the drivers exiting the tunnel, that made him suspect that a truck was in trouble. March 24, 1999 - Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire - This Day in Automotive History On 24th March, 1999, the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire occurred, with Tinazzi riding into the tunnel in an attempt to save lives on the French side. Both French and Italian firefighters criticised the ventilation system, unchanged since the tunnel was built and attacked in an official report last year. At this spot, it lies 2,480 metres (8,140ft) beneath the surface, making it the world's second deepest operational tunnel[3] after the Gotthard Base Tunnel. [5], Due to political turmoil and World War I and World War II, the project did not start until 1959, when excavations on the tunnel officially began. Shortly after, the driver realized something was wrong as cars coming in the opposite direction flashed their headlights at him; a glance in his mirrors showed white smoke coming out from under his cabin. Over the years, there have been a few occasions when complete strangers thanked me for writing, Searching for Spadino. That always made my day. Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire - Documentary - YouTube The police deposed hundreds of witnesses and experts, studied all the security logs and video, and analyzed thousands of photos and other pieces of forensic evidence. , a feature on him, but I never heard back from the editor. In school, his classmates called him Spadino the Italian word for rapier because hed been such a skinny kid. In 2011, there were an average of 5,113 vehicles per day (about 1.87 million vehicles per year). Pierlucio Tinazzi was employed as a security guard to patrol the tunnel by motorcycle to ensure a steady flow of traffic. [1] Tinazzi was in radio contact with the Italian side for over an hour before succumbing to the intense heat, which caused his motorcycle to melt into the pavement. The blaze was traumatic for the close-knit Alpine communities of the French Haute-Savoie region and Val dAosta in Italy. . Of the initial fifty people trapped by the fire, twelve survived, all of them from the Italian side. Most of the victims had almost certainly suffocated before they burned. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Other name(s): Tunnel du Mont-Blanc: Beginning of works: 1957: Completion: 19 July 1965: Status: in use Project Type. The Fire in the Mont-Blanc Tunnel on 24th March, 1999 The Mont Blanc tunnel was opened on 16th July, 1965. Mont Blanc Tunnel traffic. Five hours later and with no time to spare, a rescue crew reached the firemen via a ventilation duct. Moreover, this report presents updated statistical data on tunnel collisions (Chapter 3) and fires (Chapter 4) for many countries. Unlike long- distance road and rail tunnels built more recently, it has just one bore and two lanes, one each for northbound and southbound traffic. Corrections? The original fire doors on the cubicles were rated to survive for two hours. [3] Authorities compounded the chimney effect by pumping in further fresh air from the Italian side, escalating the fire whist trapping toxic fumes inside. Fires in European tunnels have clearly shown the risks and consequences of tunnel fires with large vehicles. 99 Tunnel carries two stacked roadbeds, in an immense single-bore tunnel under downtown, running for nearly two miles. In fact, there had been 16 other truck fires in the tunnel over the previous 35 years, always extinguished on the spot by the drivers. [4] Renovations include computerized detection equipment, extra security bays, a parallel escape shaft and a fire station in the middle of the tunnel complete with double-cabbed fire trucks. Application. However, characteristic events are fortunately rare, and may be limited to specific circumstances. The devastating fire led many countries to issue revised safety standards for tunnel design and engineering, including sprinkler systems, emergency response plans, and two-way ventilation systems that can quickly withdraw suffocating smoke. Since then, the combined traffic volume of the former has remained roughly constant. French police announced last night that as many as 40 trucks . On the morning of 24 March 1999, 39 people died when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine, which had entered the French-side portal, caught fire in the tunnel. Mr. Connell served as chairman of the associations technical committee on tunnel safety from 2005 until 2015. Seven other people, including the tunnel's Italian security chief, received suspended terms and fines. When it was realized that the cubicles were offering little protection from the smoke, they began searching for the doors that led to the ventilation duct. Its citation, like those early newspaper reports, credited Mr. Tinazzi with saving several people, even though the legend of the biker-hero had been woven by the Italian media before anyone knew exactly what had really happened, said Antoine Chandellier, a French journalist who has reported on the region for decades. [4] tunnelmb.net Wikipedia I wrote a story that became a legend. Then I discovered it wasn't true. Resistance to sprinklers in the name of safety has been a recurring theme. But when they occur, they tend to burn long and hot, inflicting damage on the concrete walls that requires months of closure and costs millions of dollars in economic loss. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The next morning, digging deeper, I uncovered a 97-page, minute-by-minute account of the fire, produced by, Le Service Rgional de Police Judiciaire de Lyon. Only five United States road tunnels had been equipped with sprinklers. In the days after the fire, regional newspapers credited Tinazzi with rescuing ten people. the legal notices related to the use of my personal data. Mont Blanc Tunnel re -opens 3 years after tragic fire in Chamonix, France on March 09, 2002. Balladur claimed that the catastrophe could be attributed to the fact the tunnel had been divided into two sections operated by two companies (one in France, the other in Italy), which failed to coordinate the situation. Swiss Tunnel Inferno - CBS News In 1997, a fire detection system was installed along with centralized safety equipment management, and new variable message signs. The 16 defendants include individuals and companies. They retreated into two fire refuges, small rooms with a dedicated air supply carved into the side of the tunnel every few hundred feet, and closed the fire doors. Toxicity Limit States in Tunnel Fire Safety Designs Save almost 80%: 10.65 instead of 48.80 one way. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The toxic effects of the fire product are important in the second and third phase. The project is located in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Courmayeur, Valle d'Aosta, Italy. . Five tunnel fires, all in Europe, resulted in 72 deaths. It held that title. In the Mont Blanc tunnel fire in 1999, for example, over 20 lorries were destroyed, and several people lost their lives. the worldwide governing body for motorcycle sport posthumously awarded him a specially cast solid gold medal for motorcycle merit. Updates? He never quite got there. In those countries, post-trial stories acknowledged that the legend was exaggerated.
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