Design Fires in Road Tunnels (2011) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix G - Past Tunnel Fires Description
Appendix G - Past Tunnel Fires Description
Pages 178-188
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From page 178... ...
Control/Extinguishment/Suppression: None Survival/Damage: Vehicle completely consumed; minor damage to tunnel; no injuries. Source of Information: Study interview CALDECOTT Location: Caldecott Tunnel, US-24, Oakland, California Date: 7 April 1982 Type: Major hazardous material Conditions at Ignition: Probably inebriated westbound driver lost control of compact auto just past midnight in light traffic.
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From page 179... ...
BALTIMORE HARBOR Location: Baltimore Harbor Freeway, Baltimore, Maryland Date: 23 March 1978 Type: Major hazardous material Conditions at Ignition: Soft drink delivery truck rams fuel oil tanker from behind in heavy traffic one-quarter mile (0.4 km) after exiting east portal of Baltimore Harbor Tunnel.
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From page 180... ...
Source of Information: The Holland Tunnel Chemical Fire report by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. One recalls trapped firefighters breathing from the curb-level fresh air inlets in Holland Tunnel fire.
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From page 181... ...
However this was not sufficient to extract enough smoke and hot burning gases for the fire service units, who were equipped only with limited respiratory protection, to effectively fight the fire. Of the 230 vehicles in the tunnel, 173 were destroyed by the fire; 7 people died in the fire, while a further 2 were injured.
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From page 182... ...
Type: Major hazardous material Conditions at Ignition: Four large trucks and two autos involved in collision three-quarters through westbound tube; spilled fuel ignited at 6:39 p.m. 231 vehicles are in tunnel behind fire or enter tunnel unheeding or in contravention to emergency warnings at east portal.
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From page 183... ...
Night repair work being carried out in the Tauern Tunnel about 800 m (2,625 ft) from the northern portal reduced tunnel traffic to one lane.
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From page 184... ...
The commander of the firefighters gave the order to switch to maximum extraction in the fire portion of the tunnel while the other three ventilation sections received maximum fresh air. The third section ventilation system helped force the smoke out through the north portal.
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From page 185... ...
From a human behavior view, the Tauern tunnel fire occurred shortly after the Mont Blanc catastrophe, and so the people involved were well aware of the possible severe consequences that could result from a tunnel fire and so fled the fire almost immediately. In addition, in the case of the Tauern fire, the fire was located "near" one of the tunnel portals adding evacuation.
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From page 186... ...
There must be no confusion possible between emergency call niches and pressurized shelters or evacuation routes. Car drivers entered the tunnel in spite of the red signal and siren - - • More victims Need to inform the users on the behavior expected from them Two separated control centers - - • Lack of coordination between the tunnel operators of the two centers complicated emergency ventilation operation Only one control centre operating the tunnel Fresh air supply at full capacity (from the bottom)
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From page 187... ...
Nevertheless, the Fresh air supply from the ceiling stopped after the fire alarm ++ Permitted smoke stratification in the minutes following the fire Fresh air supply must be reduced in the fire zone to favor the smoke stratification Ventilation procedures were not followed (blowing instead of extraction) - • No smoke extraction in the fire zone • Blowing from the ceiling contributed to the smoke destratification Need to train the tunnel operators to react to emergency situations A vehicle queue build up at the backside of the fire - - • A high number of people in the dangerous zone • The fire transmitted to others vehicles - Fire safety distance must be followed when vehicles have to stop in a tunnel.
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From page 188... ...
3. Dense smoke spread out over several hundred meters across the entire cross section of the tunnel.
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