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v A water misting system which cuts the temperature of
Page 8
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a fire from BOO`C to just 50'C in minutes will be introduced on trains shuttling trucks through the Channel Tunnel.
The system has been developed in the wake of the fire that raged through the tunnel in 1996. It took seven hours to put out and endangered the lives of fire-fighters and lorry drivers.
According to a Eurotunnel spokeswoman, a prototype has been tested and the system is currently being manufactured for introduction later this year.
"The system that always operated if a fire started in the tunnel was to carry on driving through and deal with it when the train came out," she says. "This was not possible in the 1996 fire because the electricity supply was cut" Following the blaze, it was decided that an additional measure should be installed and the most effective one for the semi-open lattice framework of the trains was the water misting system.
The system sprays droplets of water onto any fire and reduces the temperature to around 50`C in five minutes, suppressing it long enough for fire-fighters to arrive.
• A fire simulator, considered to be a world first, has been built on the French side of the Frejus Tunnel in order to improve the performance of firemen and emergency teams. The tunnel simulator, measuring 13 metres long and seven metres wide, can trigger fires of various natures and withstand extreme temperatures. It will be open to other tunnel operators on request.