– The fire yesterday could quickly have ended in a violent disaster. The incident underlines how vulnerable this form of transport is.
This is what the CEO of the Norwegian Truck Owners’ Association, Geir Mo, says after one truck on Tuesday caught fire and started burning on the E6 at Bryn in Oslo.
The truck was loaded with the liquid binder resin, which led to a strong smoke development, as well as a complete stop in all traffic in the area. The public was also asked to pull away and nearby residents were asked to close the windows, as the smoke was toxic.
Two people, including the driver of the truck, were taken to hospital with smoke injuries as a result of the incident. The media guard at Oslo University Hospital, Ivar Greiner, informs Dagbladet that they will not comment on the patient’s status on Wednesday, for reasons of privacy.
BURNED OUT: This is what the truck looked like after the fire brigade had finished the extinguishing work. The road also suffered extensive damage as a result of the incident. Photo: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet
sea view
Right by the tunnel
Mo does not want to speculate on what was the reason why the truck caught fire yesterday, but says that he is happy that things apparently went well with those involved.
– It is only to thank and praise that this did not happen inside a tunnel, says Mo.
– How could this have ended if the truck caught fire in the Brynstunnelen, which is only a couple of hundred meters away?
– Now it is not very long, and there it is easy to get out, but a large fire in a tunnel is always life-threatening.
– Just to get away
The director further says that when a truck first catches fire, there is not much the driver can do.
– Of course they have a fire extinguisher that they try to put out, but when it develops like yesterday, you just have to get away.
– Is there often a fire in trucks?
– It varies from year to year, but one accident is always one too many.
– Many drive into closed tunnels
Espen Ødegaard, fire protection manager for tunnels in Oslo at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, tells Dagbladet that it will take a short time before people involved in a tunnel fire end up in a dangerous situation.
– We have escape routes between all the races, so if that should happen, it is important to get to know each other and get out as quickly as possible. You must also never drive into a closed tunnel, regardless of whether the cause is an accident or road work.
Ødegaard says that they see this all too often.
– We have cameras inside all the tunnels, so it is also faster to close these compared to normal roads.
