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Tunnel Disaster Show on T.V Last Night

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PanzerIV

Diamond Member
Anybody else catch that fascinating program last night about the disaster in the tunnel running under the Alps between France and Italy? It was theorized that 38 people died ultimately because somebody tossed a cigarette out of their window and it made its way into a truck's air filter.

The resulting fire halfway through the tunnel created an inferno that melted steel girders and the road itself. I really felt for the victims who had no way to escape.
 
Originally posted by: Viperoni
Trucks do have a pretty large air filter... but to start that large of an inferno...
Click to expand...

That is what the experts theorized. They did large scale tests in an unused tunnel and sifted through debris for clues. The air filter was only the catalyst for the tragedy. The cargo was tons of margarine which along with other factors proved absolutely deadly in that confined space.
 
how long does it take for lack of oxygen to snuff a fire ? We can hold our breath for 1+ minute...
 
I watched that show last night. Another "Seconds from Disaster" episode. Good stuff. They theorized that the cigarette may have caused the fire, but were not certain. OTOH, officials were absolutely certain that it was the poor management and lack of proper emergency preparedness of the tunnel that lead to the 39 deaths (including the firefighter that died later from his injuries). C'mon... smoke sensor alarms were turned off on the Italian side, the French side kept letting drivers enter the tunnel after the smoke alarms went off... the operator on the Italian side fanned the flames and sent smoke in the direction of the 38 people who died by increasing the air flow through the tunnel... they really f'ed up.

The show spent 30 seconds on the possibility of the cigarette starting the blaze and 30 minutes on how the tunnel management screwed up and all you took out of it was the cigarette?

Originally posted by: rh71
how long does it take for lack of oxygen to snuff a fire ? We can hold our breath for 1+ minute...
Click to expand...
They increased the airflow in the tunnel when the fire was discovered, worsening the problem. The smoke was so thick that cars stall and people suffocated within minutes. It was also found to have contained cyanide. All this, and there were NO alarms inside the tunnel to notify people that there was problem. Most of them died in their cars thinking there was merely a traffice backup when they were suddenly surrounded by killing smoke.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
I watched that show last night. Another "Seconds from Disaster" episode. Good stuff. They theorized that the cigarette may have caused the fire, but were not certain. OTOH, officials were absolutely certain that it was the poor management and lack of proper emergency preparedness of the tunnel that lead to the 39 deaths (including the firefighter that died later from his injuries). C'mon... smoke sensor alarms were turned off on the Italian side, the French side kept letting drivers enter the tunnel after the smoke alarms went off... the operator on the Italian side fanned the flames and sent smoke in the direction of the 38 people who died by increasing the air flow through the tunnel... they really f'ed up.

The show spent 30 seconds on the possibility of the cigarette starting the blaze and 30 minutes on how the tunnel management screwed up and all you took out it was the cigarette?
Click to expand...

Geeze Vic, lighten up and thanks for the name of the program I had forgotten it. I said they "THEORIZED that the cigarette may have cause the fire, but were not certain." Additionally I stated "The cargo was tons of margarine which along with other factors proved absolutely deadly in that confined space." Hence why I put OTHER FACTORS.

Thanks for the recap, however and I had forgotten about the fire fighter who had died.
 
Originally posted by: PanzerIV
Anybody else catch that fascinating program last night about the disaster in the tunnel running under the Alps between France and Italy? It was theorized that 38 people died ultimately because somebody tossed a cigarette out of their window and it made its way into a truck's air filter.

The resulting fire halfway through the tunnel created an inferno that melted steel girders and the road itself. I really felt for the victims who had no way to escape.
Click to expand...


yeah that fire was intense....it always reminds me that nature is more powerful than I imagine. the tsunami backs this up

 
Originally posted by: PanzerIV
Geeze Vic, lighten up and thanks for the name of the program I had forgotten it. I said they "THEORIZED that the cigarette may have cause the fire, but were not certain." Additionally I stated "The cargo was tons of margarine which along with other factors proved absolutely deadly in that confined space." Hence why I put OTHER FACTORS.

Thanks for the recap, however.
Click to expand...
No biggie. My issue was that I watched the episode and was horrified by how badly the tunnel management reacted. Even the firefighters got trapped (and one of them died). The cause of the fire was irrelevant to me. If it hadn't been one thing, it would have been something else -- sh!t happens. What caused the disaster IMO was not the fire per se but the tunnel management's lack of preparation for a fire. I was just setting the record straight. Pretty fscked up overall, I felt/feel strongly for the victims as well. They didn't have a chance.
 
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