Car fire in the Gotthard road tunnel had a mild outcome

Published: Tuesday, Dec 26th 2023, 09:00

The fire involving a passenger car in the Gotthard road tunnel had a mild outcome early Tuesday morning. No one was injured. The car was totaled, but the traffic facilities remained undamaged. The tunnel had to be closed in both directions for around an hour.

The fire alarm was detected shortly after 5 a.m. by the Gotthard road tunnel safety systems and the staff of the Uri cantonal police operations center, according to a police statement.

The driver of a car with German license plates was driving south when his vehicle caught fire for reasons that were initially unknown. The emergency services, who arrived immediately, were able to extinguish the fire quickly.

The 60-year-old driver and his 68-year-old passenger had gone to the shelter and remained uninjured. The vehicle was totaled. The damage was estimated at around 25,000 Swiss francs. The traffic facilities were not damaged.

The Gotthard road tunnel was closed in both directions for an hour for the rescue and clean-up work.

Security system worked

The driver of the vehicle noticed a sudden loss of power after entering the tunnel on Göschen ground and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment, said Stefan Simmen, on-call officer for the Uri cantonal police, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency. The driver then steered the vehicle into an alcove, stopped and took his things out of the trunk before going to the shelter with his companion.

The safety system worked perfectly, said Simmen. The traffic lights on both sides of the tunnel had been set to red. Drivers who were already in the tunnel drove past the burning vehicle through the tunnel. No turning maneuvers were necessary. "The whole thing went off without a hitch," Simmen continued.

©Keystone/SDA

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