The interviews I conducted with his sister and a few close friends were heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The regional newspapers that reported on him in 1999 didnt have online editions; my story, posted a few years later, was the first on the web. I spent a week seeking out his family, friends, and coworkers and imploring them to talk to me. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. At 10:54, one of the drivers called from refuge 22 to raise the alarm. It took a week for the tunnel to cool enough to recover their bodies, and those of the 36 others who had perished in the tunnel. At the time, considering that four years had already gone by since the fire, I concluded that French and Italian bureaucrats were deliberately dragging the investigation out, to keep the records sealed, so that neither side would ever have to accept blame. The judicial inquiry is expected to concentrate on the safety standards of the 34-year- old single-bore tunnel - especially the absence of an escape tunnel and the adequacy of the ventilation system. When it was opened it was the worlds longest and deepest road tunnel. There were no casualties. Save almost 80%: 10.65 instead of 48.80 one way. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The fire resulted in million of dollars in damage, thirty-nine deaths, and a three-year closure of the tunnel. The International Motorcycle Federation, the world governing body of motorcycle sport, presented its highest award to his family. The tunnel is a single bore two-lane tunnel with the shape of a horseshoe with a 7m wide roadway and two 0.8 walkways on either side. The fire burned for fifty-three hours and was estimated to have reached a temperature of 1,000C (1,830F), mainly because of the margarine load in the trailer, equivalent to a 23,000-litre (5,100impgal; 6,100USgal) oil tanker. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, 50 off over 650 using this Expedia discount code, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected product with this eBay voucher code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK May 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this May, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. [4] Then on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, this year, I was commissioned to write a feature for, , looking back on the fire as the worlds most closely examined road disaster. Two decades ago, 39 people died inside the Mont Blanc Tunnel in a fire so horrific it changed safety standards forever. Nearly 2,000 people died and some 9,000 were injured in the disaster, which flattened more than 1 square mile (2.5 square km) of the city of Halifax. Other vehicles travelling through the tunnel became . One account reported it to be a cigarette stub carelessly thrown at the truck, which supposedly entered the engine induction snorkel above the cabin, setting the paper air filter on fire. On that day, atmospheric conditions in the Alps created a fairly strong breeze in the tunnel. I started looking into it online. At the time of its construction, it was three times longer than any existing highway tunnel.[2]. Melted wiring had eliminated any possible light sources in the tunnel; in the smoke and with abandoned and wrecked vehicles blocking their path, both fire engines were unable to proceed, and were blocked at garage 17, 1200 metres from the burning truck. A sprawling courtroom drama which will apportion blame for the 39 deaths in the Mont Blanc tunnel fire in March 1999, began yesterday in a converted theatre in the Alps. In 1997, a fire detection system was installed along with centralized safety equipment management, and new variable message signs. Technical report 05.16B Systems and equipment for fire and smoke control in road tunnels. I would never have traveled to Val dAosta in search of the heros backstory. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. It was a week before the tunnel cooled enough for forensic investigators to recover bodies. Mont Blanc Tunnel traffic. Thirty-five people died in a fire that turned a stretch of the Mont Blanc road tunnel between France and Italy into a furnace, regional authorities said yesterday. The initial journey through the tunnel was routine. [2] Some victims were able to escape to the fire cubicles. + Follow. The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror Fascinating Horror 1.02M subscribers Subscribe 511K views 7 months ago #Documentary #TrueStories #History "On the 24th. March 20, 2023 by archyde. Outside, in the tunnel, Tinazzis motorcycle melted into the roadbed. Two operating companies were founded, each responsible for one half of the tunnel: the French Autoroutes et tunnel du Mont-Blanc (ATMB), founded on 30 April 1958, and the Italian Societ italiana per azioni per il Traforo del Monte Bianco (SITMB), founded on 1 September 1957. They plunged into thick, toxic smoke. Many difficulties, including an avalanche that swept the Italian camp in which three workers were killed and more than 30 injured, were overcome during its construction, and, when the tunnel opened in 1965, it was the longest vehicular tunnel in the world. YouTube isn't a fan of videos regarding "graphic" content. The toxic effects of the fire product are important in the second and third phase. greater awareness among users (car and truck drivers) on how to behave in emergency situations. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The larger trucks were stranded, as they did not have the space to turn around, and reversing out was not an option. A link between France and Italy, its crossing needs a dozen minutes. Pierlucio had turned down a promotion to. He was asked about the security measures that he ordered, or did not order, to be carried out. In 2013, the one-way ticket for a car was 40.90 (41.40 on the Italian side), while the return ticket, valid for 7 days, was 51 (51.60 on the Italian side). I should have questioned how Tinazzi managed to operate in the French zone, when fully kitted firemen could not. Pierlucio Tinazzi Pierlucio Tinazzi ( Italian pronunciation: [pjrluto tinattsi]; 27 December 1962 - 24 March 1999) was an Italian security guard who died while trying to rescue victims of the 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire. Find Mont Blanc Tunnel stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. A Deadly Blaze in the Alps Made a Biker a Hero and Tunnels Safer for All, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/business/mont-blanc-tunnel-fire-anniversary-rescue.html. Built in 1980, the Gotthard has had increased traffic since a 1999 fire forced the closure of the Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy. I fell asleep that night increasingly certain that I had gotten Searching for Spadino wrong, but lacking real evidence. I looked again at the citation for the FIM medal. The driver of the goods vehicle was one of those prosecuted. It was immediately obvious, as I began to read, that Spadino couldnt have saved anyone. Serious questions about the safety of the tunnel were raised by rescue organisations last year. He found Maurice Lebras unconscious, and dragged him into Niche No. Temperatures soared to 1,000C. It measures 11.6 kilometers (7.2miles) in length, two-thirds of which lies in France. But he never reached it; he stopped when the smoke became too thick. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. At 11:10 six Chamonix firefighters entered the tunnel, but were blocked at the garage 17, 2700 meters from the truck. People think of tunnels as a hole through the ground, he said, but thats not the case anymore. I thought about the tunnel story on and off, usually around the anniversary of the fire. But all the witnesses and officials were under gag orders, and records including security video and recordings of radio traffic were sealed due to ongoing criminal and civil investigations. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay, Learn how and when to remove this template message, French Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau, "The Fire of 1999 - Autoroutes et Tunnel du Mont Blanc", "Case Studies: Historical Fires: Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire, Italy/France", "Infrastructural Fires: Mont Blanc Tunnel, Italy", "Land transport accident investigation bureau (BEA-TT)", "Guilty Verdicts in Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire Trial", "Procs du Mont-Blanc: Grard Roncoli condamn en appel 6 mois de prison ferme", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mont_Blanc_Tunnel_fire&oldid=1150665494, Gilbert Degrave, the Belgian driver of the truck that caught fire in the tunnel, The French and Italian managers of the tunnel, A senior official of the French Ministry of Public Works. While the legend was exaggerated, the horror of the fire and its impact on tunnel safety cannot be overstated. Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme, "I wrote a story that became a legend. Prevention, surveillance and detection, intervention: the principles of safety. Temperatures in the tunnel reached at least 1,832 degrees . A cargo truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire while passing through the tunnel and when the driver stopped . The tunnel is equipped with the following safety facilities: Every 100 m portable fire extinguishers Every 300 m garages But interest in the story really took off in April 2006 when it appeared in the UK monthly. The initial journey through the tunnel was routine. The likelihood of escalation of incidents into major events is low, however the consequences of such incidents can be severe in terms of victims, damage to the structure and impact on the transport economy. For each and every one, a non-profit association or event is established. A Belgian lorry carrying margarine and flour skidded into the tunnel side. The fire spread to other cargo vehicles nearby that also carried combustible loads. The US magazine Rider ran an abridged version the next year. Members of a direct response crew in the firefighter hangar on the French side. Temperatures reached 1,000 degrees Celsius, or 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. On the morning of 24 March 1999, 39 people died when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine, which had entered the French-side portal, caught fire in the tunnel. Tunnel Inferno is the 2nd episode of Seconds from Disaster and explores the causes of one of the worst tunnel fires. The region needed a hero, and soon after the fire, the government of Italy honored Mr. Tinazzi with a gold medal for civilian bravery. On 3/24/1999 the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire occurred when a truck carrying 12 tons of flour and 9 tons of margarine entered the French side of the 7.2-mile tunnel connecting France and Italy in the Alps. They retreated into two fire refuges, small rooms with a dedicated air supply carved into the side of the tunnel every few hundred feet, and closed the fire doors. ICYMI:A reporter asked for 20 years of lottery winner data. Due to weather conditions at the time, airflow through the tunnel was from the Italian side to the French side. By. It was initiated by a heavy goods vehicle which stopped near the middle of the tunnel and immediately burst into flames. We shall answer you as soon as possible. The lessons of the tragedy have guided tunnel design and engineering ever since, including recent American projects like the Port of Miami Tunnel and Seattles new S.R. However, characteristic events are fortunately rare, and may be limited to specific circumstances. Within a minute or two, it caught fire. Some vehicles were still burning yesterday morning; others had been buried by rubble from the collapsed lining of the tunnel. Closed-circuit television cameras were installed every few metres in 1995. . When built, it was the world's longest road tunnel, linking the French and Italian highway systems and shortening truck routes between. And my curiosity finally got the better of me. Moments later, the fire melted the wiring for the lights, plunging the tunnel into darkness. . It reduces the route from France to Turin by 50 kilometres (30 miles) and to Milan by 100km (60mi). The Italians were assisted by a French motorcycle security guard named Patrick Devouassoux, who happened to be on the Italian side when the fire broke out. Not your archetypal biker. Le tunnel du St. Gothard est le plus long (16 920 m), suivi par le tunnel du Mont Blanc et le tunnel des Tauern (11 600 m et 6 400 m respectivement). Sure enough, in December 2017, a car erupted into flames in the tunnel. On the morning of 24 March 1999, 39 people died when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine, which had entered the French-side portal, caught fire in the tunnel.[1][2]. Mont Blanc Tunnel, major Alpine automotive tunnel connecting France and Italy. The police deposed hundreds of witnesses and experts, studied all the security logs and video, and analyzed thousands of photos and other pieces of forensic evidence. In Seattle, the recently opened S.R. A strong breeze created a blast-furnace effect, igniting the fuel in other abandoned vehicles. Refuges equipped with telephones, and capable of sheltering up to 40 people were excavated every 600 metres in 1991. In the Mont-Blanc fire in March 1999, the asphalt road . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. As part of my Times research, I spoke to Jean-Marc Berthier, the engineer who reopened the Mont Blanc Tunnel after extensive renovations and safety improvements. misbehaviour of car drivers seems to be the most common cause of tunnel incidents and may also cause problems in incident management (like impeding access of emergency services to the site of incident), in case of a fire drivers sometimes try to pass by the vehicle on fire to continue their ride, despite the potential danger caused by fire and smoke, traffic management measures such as closing of a lane (eg. Seven other people, including the tunnel's Italian security chief, received suspended terms and fines. Download file to see previous pages. It connects the highway systems of France and Italy, and cuts an hour off transport times between Italys industrial north and the rich markets beyond the Alps. 99 Tunnel carries two stacked roadbeds, in an immense single-bore tunnel under downtown, running for nearly two miles. In Grenoble, France, 16 people and companies were tried on 31 January 2005 for manslaughter. 17 inside the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The central ventilation hangar on the Italian side helps control the air in the tunnel. Newspaper upgrades CEOs housing stipend to $35K a month amid buyouts. In the chaos just after the blaze, local French and Italian newspapers reported that the biker had raced in and out of the burning tunnel, saving as many as 10 people before dying in one last rescue attempt. French police announced last night that as many as 40 trucks and cars may have been engulfed by the fire, making it probably the worst road tunnel accident in history. The told and retold story that, before finding Lebras, Spadino had exited to safety and returned over and over, rescuing 10 other people had been publicly debunked by the French judicial police in 2005. A detailed description of the Mont Blanc, Tauern and St. Gotthard fires including the original configuration of the tunnels, and a step-by-step guide to the incident, fire progression, and the behaviour of operators, emergency services and users, as well as the lessons to be drawn can be found in the technical report 05.16B Systems and [9], This led to a three-year tunnel closure until 9 March 2002. Introduction. an Italian security guard who perished while rescuing survivors of the 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire. Plot On 24 March 1999, at 10:30 CET, Nicholas Borghi and John Whitby drive into the tunnel from the Italian side. Initially, there was a lot of conjecture, and uneasiness, about how a fire of that size could become so deadly and produce so much damage, Mr. Connell said. As the trucks cargo burned, it produced dense, toxic smoke that billowed back towards France. Hence a systematic analysis of less severe, but more frequent incidents (collisions and fires) may provide a more representative picutre of real tunnel incidents. Twenty years ago Sunday, a fire deep inside an Alpine tunnel killed 39 people and turned a motorcycle-riding security guard who worked there into a hero. To this day, no one can say with certainty why the rig caught fire. [5] In 1908, a first design was presented by French engineer Arnold Monod, to much interest from Italian and French politicians. The tunnel crossing is subject to a toll; the toll differs from Italy to France because of their different VAT rates. A spokesman for the. Paolo Sormani, the motorcycle writer who had initially been reticent, seemed to have a change of heart a few days later, when he wrote back in Italian-accented English to explain. Select from premium Mont Blanc Tunnel of the highest quality. For what its worth, Im glad it fell to others to break the truth to bikers in Val dAosta. The tragic fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel of 24 March 1999, with 39 victims, and the subsequent fires in the Tauern (May 1999) and in the Gotthard (October 2001 . The agreement between France and Italy on building a tunnel was signed in 1949. The damage to the tunnel was so severe that it took almost three . It was immediately obvious, as I began to read, that Spadino couldnt have saved anyone. Tinazzi was lauded as a hero for his actions on that day. The jet fans kept the tunnel air clear while it was evacuated. Most of the victims had almost certainly suffocated before they burned. In all the years since, no reader ever emailed, or phoned, or tweeted a skeptical thought. Save almost 70%: 15.21 instead of 48.80 one way. Such was the ferocity of the fire that the rescue workers said it was difficult to tell how many victims had perished in the wreckage. and the presence of over 400 people in . ChamonixCourmayeur11.68.6 It fulfilled a 150-year-old dream and is of great economic importance, providing a significantly shortened year-round automotive route between the two countries. When I pressed him, he fell silent for a moment before saying, My advice is, dont become preoccupied with some accounting of lives saved versus lives lost.. 20. Remy Chardon, former president of the French company operating the tunnel, was convicted and received a two-year suspended jail term; he was also fined approximately. Of course now, Im embarrassed that it took me 14 years to correct the record. [1] A commemorative plaque at the Italian entrance honours his sacrifice. In death, hed become an unofficial patron saint of Italian bikers. Mont-Blanc tunnel fire: what lessons 24 years later? Some lessons learned can be given as examples, such as: However, it is not possible to give generally applicable recommendations on the basis of these findings because these may be different in dependence of the specific conditions of an individual country and an individual tunnel. But I never really dug back into it. The Volvo trundled in, on its way to Italy. I tell people, This is like a building for cars.. These remote sites are also used as staging areas, to smooth the peaks of commercial traffic. He had been presented with medals and buried with honors long before I arrived in Val dAosta. Its not clear whether he suspected trouble or thought he was making a routine trip back to the Italian portal. They saved several people, ferrying them out to the Italian portal. A MANSLAUGHTER investigation has been launched by French authorities into the horrific blaze in the Mont Blanc tunnel in which 35 died. The Seattle tunnel includes refuges every 650 feet, which open into a passage with its own fresh air supply a tunnel within the tunnel for escape. An honor guard filled the tiny cemetery where he was buried. Shortly after, the driver realized something was wrong as cars coming in the opposite direction flashed their headlights at him; a glance in his mirrors showed white smoke coming out from under his cabin. The Mont Blanc Tunnel finally reopened in 2002. After analyzing the records, he noticed something unusual. Nicholas Borghi is a skier, heading from his home in Italy to ski resorts in France. The tunnel consists of a single gallery with a two-lane dual direction road. While the legend of the biker was exaggerated, the horror of the fire there 20 years ago and its impact on tunnel safety cannot be overstated.CreditSamuel Zeller for The New York Times. 99 Tunnel. Four years later, in 2003, I was living in France. These catastrophes demonstrated the need for improving preparation for, as well as preventing and mitigating, tunnel incidents. Spadino might have seen something, or heard something from one of the drivers exiting the tunnel, that made him suspect that a truck was in trouble. The tunnel, opened with great fanfare in 1965, is seven miles long. I got caught on the phrase entered the smoke-filled tunnel from the Italian side, because I knew Tinazzi wasnt on the Italian side. The Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme the worldwide governing body for motorcycle sport posthumously awarded him a specially cast solid gold medal for motorcycle merit. Mont Blanc looming over Lake Leman, in the Swiss Alps. But I never really dug back into it. Thats the one magazine every other motorcycle editor reads, and so several more ran it in translation. I traveled to Val dAosta on my own dime to write a story that I eventually came to call Searching for Spadino.. Nothing in the official record suggests his motivation. Sat Mar 27 1999 - 00:00. Under the Mont Blancmountain range is a 11,6 km(around 7.2 miles) long road tunnel, connecting Francewith Italy. The passageway is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes, particularly for Italy, which relies on this tunnel for transporting as much as one-third of its freight to northern Europe. what is a normal blood pressure during sleep; kim kyle richards palm desert house; who uses communication boards; what happens if you snitch on the cartel. He could have turned back, but he didnt. Over the next 35 years of uneventful service, those superlatives were taken for granted. Other victims were found in "sealed" safety refuges, built eight years ago. The sentence was upheld on appeal. [7], The tunnel underwent extensive modernisation works in 1990, including the addition of safety features such new video surveillance cameras, 8 pressurized emergency shelters, a sprinkler system and other safety maintenance. TV documentaries were also made concerning the disaster, all distributed worldwide and focusing on either safety aspects or the circumstances that turned what should have been a serious, but controllable incident into a disaster. The driver stopped, about three miles from daylight in both directions, and with a mile of solid rock above him. Temperatures reached 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and it took a week before the tunnel cooled enough for forensic investigators to reach the bodies. Other vehicles traveling through the tunnel became trapped and firefighters were unable to reach the transport truck. At 11:39, another team of firefighters entered the tunnel from the French side but were blocked at the garage 5, 4,800 metres from the truck. The seven-mile-long bore, linking France and Italy, carries up to 4,000 trucks a day, many times the level of traffic for which it was designed in the early 1960s. It so shocked civil engineers who specialize in tunnel construction that many remember where they were when they learned the news. The major fire incidents of Mont Blanc, Tauern and St. Gotthard (1999 and 2001) led to an increased awareness of the possible impact of incidents in tunnels. ), Antoine Chandellier is a French journalist who has reported on the Haute Savoie region for decades. The original fire doors on the cubicles were rated to survive for two hours. The tunnel, opened with great fanfare in 1965, is seven miles long. This can be achieved by the provision of safe design criteria for new tunnels, as well as effective management and possible upgrading of in-service tunnels, and through improved information and better communications with tunnel users. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}455358N 65151E / 45.8995N 6.8642E / 45.8995; 6.8642. Mont Blanc Tunnel re -opens 3 years after tragic fire in Chamonix, France on March 09, 2002. The 1999 Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire case uses a time-line approach with discussion of events during each time period. On March 24, 1999, the fire began close to the center of the 7.2-mile tunnel. Then I discovered it wasn't true", Italian decoration "Medaglia d'Oro al Valore Civile", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pierlucio_Tinazzi&oldid=1143687156, Dying while trying to rescue survivors of the, This page was last edited on 9 March 2023, at 07:59. It is one of the major trans-alpine routes, and up to a third of Italy's freight passed through it, with 766,000 heavy goods vehicles using the tunnel in 1998.

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