Alert staff prevent Channel Tunnel fire in reefer unit
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By Chris Druce CHANNEL TUNNEL staff have prevented another potentially disastrous tunnel ire from occurring, after spotting smoke coming from a trailer earlier this year, CM can reveal.
On 22 February, a Davie Malcolm Transport trailer carrying fresh boxed beef left the company’s Hythe, Kent, base destined for supermarkets in the south of France.
It passed through security at the Channel Tunnel, but, having been loaded onto the shuttle ready for the crossing, a tunnel team mem ber spotted smoke coming from the back of the trailer.
The truck, along with two others, was taken off the train and moved to an isolation spot in the terminal. When Kent Fire & Rescue opened the trailer up, they found the contents alight.
A report on the incident by Eurotunnel, which operates the service, concluded the failure of the refrigeration unit’s left-hand fan, which was mounted above the cargo and had shattered, caused debris to fall and start the trailer’s insulation burning, which then spread to the packaging and eventually the produce on board. As the trailer was around a quarter full, it would have taken some time for the space to ill with enough smoke to become visible. A Eurotunnel spokesman says: “Eurotunnel puts great emphasis on prevention and has a series of control points throughout the terminal, with highly trained staff checking for any sign of smoke or lame.
“In this incident, the irst indication was a faint smell of smoke coming from behind the trailer. The truck was immediately evacuated to a place of safety where Kent Fire & Rescue services quickly brought the incident under control.”