Thousands stranded by Eurotunnel closing

On Thursday evening Eurostar cancelled all of its Channel tunnel services as a result of the fire that erupted on a freight train earlier in the day that blazed for several hours and brought all tunnel transportation to a standstill.

Fire fighters from the French side responded quickly when the alarm was raised on the freight shuttle service from Folkestone to Calais, at around 2:00 pm UK time. It is thought that the fire started when a lorry that was being transported on the train caught on fire. Other vehicles on board were quickly engulfed by the flames.

The incident occurred around seven miles from the French end of the 30-mile tunnel. Rescue teams were also quick to arrive, and helped evacuate the 32 passengers through an adjoining service tunnel. Most of the passengers on board were lorry drivers.

Fourteen of the evacuees were taken to hospital, and most complaints were due to smoke inhalation. At the time the fire broke out there were no passenger trains in the tunnel.

Late Thursday night, emergency service crews were still dealing with the fire, and it was not clear at the time how extensive the damage was. The Essex fire company reported that 100 of its fire fighters had been sent to the scene.

According to industry sources, Eurostar services would likely resume operations in one of the tunnels by the weekend, at the earliest, and that delays and cancellations should be expected.

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