On the 24th of March, 1999, a transport truck caught fire while travelling from France to
Italy through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
The fire, deep in the heart of The Alps, would turn the tunnel into an oven that would remain
too hot for any human to enter for days after the flames were extinguished, and would ultimately
cost dozens of people their lives.
Construction began on The Mont Blanc Tunnel in 1959, to link together Chamonix in France
with Courmayeur in Italy.
The idea of a tunnel through The Alps was suggested to the Italian Parliament in 1907,
but the turmoil of two World Wars delayed any action for half a century.
Even when the plan was resumed in the 1950s, it was still regarded as a highly ambitious
project.
Two newly-formed organisations took responsibility for half of the tunnel each.
The Autoroutes et tunnel du Mont-Blanc or ATMB from France, and the Società Italiana
per Azioni per il Traforo del Monte Bianco or SITMB from Italy.
Each organisation began drilling from their side.
Three years later in 1962 the drilling stage was completed as workers from the two nations
met in the middle.
Three years after that, work on the interior of the tunnel was successfully completed.
After being inaugurated by the presidents of France and Italy, the tunnel was opened
to the public on the 19th of July, 1965.
At the time, it was three times longer than any other highway tunnel in the world.
No longer would cars and trucks have to negotiate hairpin turns on mountain roads to make the
journey across The Alps.
Though just 11.6 kilometres (or 7.2 miles) long, the tunnel saved drivers, on average,
two hours on the road.
The new route was understandably popular.
It symbolised unity in a continent that had been ravaged by war in the early part of the
twentieth century.
As the president of Italy put it, “This work of peace…is for the world a symbol
of willingness and trust in the virtue of the work of humans which builds day after
day, the life of nations.”
As well as a symbol of peace between countries, the tunnel was also an excellent source of
revenue for its operators.
In the late 1990s, the ATMB were charging tolls for use of the tunnel that were, on
average, around 91% pure profit.
Heavy vehicles were particularly lucrative for them, and so they would allow as many
through as they could, often ignoring safety measures concerning the minimum distance between
vehicles in the process.
From an Italian perspective, The Mont Blanc Tunnel was also extremely lucrative: it had
become responsible for around a third of all freight travelling from Italy to northern
Europe.
While some safety measures had been introduced during the 1990s, such as new surveillance
cameras, emergency shelters, a sprinkler system and a fire detection system, safety was not
an area that was considered a priority.
There hadn’t been a single fatality in the tunnel since its opening.
On the morning of the 24th of March, 1999, Belgian truck driver, Gilbert Degrave, set
out on a regular route of his from France into Italy.
On this day his load consisted of around 9000 kilograms (or 9 tonnes) of margarine and around
12000 kilograms (or 12 tonnes) of flour, all of which was stowed in his refrigerated lorry.
As he passed through the toll booth on the French side of the Mont Blanc tunnel at 10:46am,
everything was normal.
Not long into his journey through the tunnel, at around 10:49am, he noticed cars travelling
in the opposite direction flashing their headlights at him.
A quick check in his wing mirrors revealed that white smoke was pouring from under his
cabin.
While this would undoubtedly have been a cause for concern, it was not likely to be considered
a major emergency.
Up until that point 16 trucks had caught fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel, and all of them
had been extinguished by the driver on the spot.
By 10:53am, he was six kilometres (or 3.7 miles) into the tunnel - almost exactly halfway
through.
At this point he stopped to address the situation, but was immediately forced out of and away
from his lorry when it burst into flames.
He quickly decided he was unable to fight the fire, and fled, running the remaining
distance to the Italian entrance of the tunnel.
By this time the French authorities were aware that several smoke detectors had gone off.
The Italian authorities were not – their smoke detectors had been switched off after
too many false alarms.
One minute after the truck burst into flames, the alarm was raised by another driver, prompting
the French and Italian operators to get in touch with one another.
By 10:55am, all traffic had been stopped from entering the tunnel, and fire alarms were
sounding throughout.
Remaining inside the tunnel were at least 10 cars and 18 trucks: 50 people in total.
Those travelling from the French side could not get past the burning lorry.
Some car drivers were able to turn around, but for most truck drivers, there simply was
not enough space to do so.
By 10:57am more than one tenth of the tunnel was completely filled with smoke.
Degrave’s cargo of margarine was acting as fuel for the fire.
Operators on both sides could see smoke on their surveillance cameras, but due to low
picture quality, were unable to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.
Two fire trucks from the nearby town of Chamonix responded, and were at the scene by 10:59am.
As they entered the tunnel they found that the wiring powering the lighting had melted
away, and the tunnel was in complete darkness.
This, combined with the smoke and multiple abandoned vehicles made it impossible to carry
on.
The firefighters left their trucks and sought refuge in the emergency fire cubicles that
were situated at regular intervals alongside the roadway.
From there they could hear the sound of burning fuel rolling down the road, and the resulting
explosion of tyres and fuel tanks.
By now, many other vehicles were also on fire.
At 11:11am more firefighters arrived, this time from the Italian side, but they too had
to abandon their vehicles.
Realising that the fire cubicles would not offer sufficient protection from this fire,
they started to search for the other trapped firefighters.
A security guard from the Italian side, Pierlucio Tinazzi, rode into the tunnel on his motorbike
in an attempt to reach survivors.
In his last communication with the control room, he said that he had found an unconscious
lorry driver on his way, so had dragged him into one of the fire cubicles for protection.
Unfortunately the cubicle they took refuge in was too close to the fire for them to be
rescued in time, and both men passed away.
In an effort to help people escape, operators on the Italian side began to pump fresh air
into the tunnel, hoping to neutralise the deadly smoke.
This was a serious error in judgement, as the fresh air only acted as further fuel to
the fire, spreading the flames even more quickly and ultimately reducing the breathable air
available for the people still trapped inside.
By 11.30am, less than 40 minutes after the fire started, the smoke had reached the French
side of the tunnel.
It was impossible to reach the fire to extinguish it, and so it continued to burn for 53 hours,
reaching temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius (or 1,830 degrees Fahrenheit) – hot enough
to melt the asphalt of the roadway.
All of the stranded firefighters were rescued five hours later by a third crew that reached
them via a ventilation duct.
They were taken to hospital, all of them in a serious condition.
One would later pass away from injuries caused by heat and smoke.
In total, 29 other people died trapped in their vehicles, and nine more died while trying
to escape.
An extensive investigation was launched involving 70 investigators, 160 witnesses, 60 lawyers
and more than 200 plaintiffs.
Eventually 16 people and companies were tried for manslaughter in 2005, including the lorry
driver, Gilbert Degrave, the makers of the lorry, Volvo, and the managers of the tunnel,
the ATMB and SITMB.
In total, 13 individuals were found guilty, receiving sentences which ranged from suspended
prison sentences to six months in prison.
Gilbert Degrave received a four-month suspended sentence, while the charges against Volvo
were dropped completely.
Repairs would take three years, and would incorporate a major re-evaluation of safety
measures.
New interventions included extra traffic lights to help stem the flow of traffic in the event
of an accident, the installation of evacuation tunnels, 78 firefighting spots, 3680 new smoke
detectors, video contact with the security bays and a remote site for cargo inspection
to ensure that vehicles were not overheating when they entered the tunnel.
For the act of heroism that ultimately cost him his life, Pierlucio Tinazzi was posthumously
given an Award for Civil Valour by the Italian Republic.
Despite an extensive investigation, one thing remains unclear - how the fire started in
the first place.
The most popular theory is that a lit cigarette thrown from another vehicle entered the cab’s
engine induction snorkel, and then set an air filter on fire.
Whatever the cause, the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire was a rare and terrible accident – one
that, with vigilance and an awareness of the dangers inherent in a long, narrow tunnel
under a mountain range – should never be repeated.