What we know so far about terrifying A55 Conwy Tunnel fire and road chaos
Motorists watched on in horror this afternoon as thick smoke billowed from the Conwy Tunnel in the lead up to a major incident being declared. Eerie electronic messages warning of an 'emergency' sent shivers across North Wales amid fears people may be trapped inside.
The huge blaze led to the closure of the A55 in both directions at Conwy. Penmaenbach Tunnel was also closed, throwing much of northwest Wales into gridlock.
It is understood a crane vehicle burst into flames inside the tunnel. Urging people to stay away, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service tasked crews to tackle the incident. It warned the tunnel would be 'closed for some time'.
According to traffic websites, the fire broke out shortly after 2pm today (Thursday, June 19). First to report it was Traffic Wales, which simply stated: 'Warning - Vehicle fire. Emergency services are on scene.'
Photos and videos soon emerged on social media showing black smoke spewing from the tunnel. One witness described hearing audio messages in the tunnel telling people to 'leave their vehicles and walk out'.
Online, a woman captured the general sentiment when saying: 'Sending prayers to anyone currently there....I hope everyone including all 999 responders come home safely tonight.'
A motorist described driving past the smoking vehicle on the westbound carriageway. Eira D'Arcy, who was travelling to Anglesey, said: 'The tunnel was still open when we came through.
'It was scary as I thought it may explode and wanted to get out of the tunnel.'
With the A55 closed in both directions, tailbacks of more than half an hour quickly built up on the westbound carriageway towards Old Colwyn. 'Severe delays' of 18 minutes were also reported on the westbound A55 at junction 10.
Most traffic was forced to take a 35-mile diversion along the A470 and A5 via Betws-y-Coed. Roadside sensors show this route is currently snarled up, as follows.
Bethesda: Severe delays of 10 minutes
Capel Curig: Severe delays of 16 minutes
Betws-y-Coed: Severe delays of 11 minutes on the eastbound A5 Holyhead Road between A5 and Station Road.
Betws-y-Coed: Delays of five minutes on the southbound A470.
Llanrwst: Severe delays of 13 minutes Severe delays of 13 minutes on the southbound A470.
The transport shock was felt as far away as the A55 at Chester and the A483 to Wrexham. Here, National Highways North-West warned of up to one-hour delays because the A483 was being used as 'long distance diversion route' via the A5.
Roads were expected to be busy as a heatwave builds over the UK and people head to beaches. Traffic sensors suggested the A483 delays were not as severe as forecast.
Schools in Conwy warned that buses would be late today due to the incident. Along them was Ysgol y Creuddyn in Penrhyn Bay, which thanked parents for their patience and apologised for the inconvenience.
Adding to the transport misery was an announcement by Transport for Wales that train services were not running between Llandudno and Llandudno Junction due to a points failure.
By 3.42pm, the fire had been declared a 'major incident' by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service. In a statement, the service said: 'We're working with multi-agency partners to control the fire, protect the environment and re-open the tunnel as soon as its safe to do so.'
North Wales Police initially urged all motorists caught up in queues to 'stay in their vehicles due to heavy smoke in the area'. One driver described how he emerged from Conwy Tunnel to see smoke billowing into the sky.
Marcus Copeland was returning from Anglesey when he saw white smoke coming from the tunnel, followed by 'lots of thick black smoke'.
He said: "We were the closest vehicle to the tunnel at that point, so we pulled over into a slip road and walked up the bank, there was acrid black smoke everywhere. It was really bad.
'You could hear audio messages in the tunnel telling people to leave their vehicles and walk out. There are lots of police and fire engines at the scene.
'Cars were being turned round the wrong way on the A55 to come off and we are the last car coming off down a slip road. Looking behind us you can see the A55 is empty, apart from wagons and buses which are also now being turned around. There is still lots of black smoke.
'It is really hot and whatever caused the fire, it could have been caused by the heat.' In an update at 5.30pm, the fire service said: "A multi-agency response is underway following a major incident involving a vehicle fire in the Conwy Tunnel on the westbound A55.
"The fire was reported at 13:48, and emergency services are working together at the scene. The fire is now under control, and we can confirm that there have been no fatalities.
"Due to the scale of the incident and the need for ongoing safety assessments, the Conwy Tunnel remains closed in both directions and is expected to remain closed for a significant amount of time.
"Detailed inspections will need to be carried out to determine the extent of any damage before the tunnel can be safely reopened.
"We are aware of the severe disruption that has been caused and that traffic along the A55 has been affected however diversions are in place.
"Roads in and around the Colwyn Bay, Conwy, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed areas are extremely busy at this time – including nearby villages, and we urge motorists to allow plenty of time for their travels."
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This is the first image of a crane lorry which was destroyed by a fire, which shut the Conwy Tunnel in both directions on the A55 yesterday (Thursday). The vehicle caught fire in the tunnel yesterday afternoon shortly before 2pm. A major incident was declared, as acrid black smoke billowed out. Other people were urged to leave their vehicles and exit immediately, as emergency services arrived at the scene, with fire crews getting to work to extinguish the blaze. Motorists approaching the tunnel watched in horror as an eerie electronic messages warning of an 'emergency' sent shivers across North Wales. Penmaenbach Tunnel was also closed, throwing much of northwest Wales into gridlock, with long traffic jams forming around the area. First to report the fire was Traffic Wales, which simply stated: 'Warning - Vehicle fire. Emergency services are on scene.' Photos and videos soon emerged on social media showing black smoke spewing from the tunnel. One witness described hearing audio messages in the tunnel telling people to 'leave their vehicles and walk out'. Online, a woman captured the general sentiment when saying: 'Sending prayers to anyone currently there....I hope everyone including all 999 responders come home safely tonight.' A motorist described driving past the smoking vehicle on the westbound carriageway. Eira D'Arcy, who was travelling to Anglesey, said: 'The tunnel was still open when we came through. It was scary as I thought it may explode and wanted to get out of the tunnel.' The transport shock was felt as far away as the A55 at Chester and the A483 to Wrexham. National Highways North-West warned of up to one-hour delays because the A483 was being used as 'long distance diversion route' via the A5. Marcus Copeland was returning from Anglesey when he saw white smoke coming from the tunnel, followed by 'lots of thick black smoke'. He said: "We were the closest vehicle to the tunnel at that point, so we pulled over into a slip road and walked up the bank, there was acrid black smoke everywhere. It was really bad. 'You could hear audio messages in the tunnel telling people to leave their vehicles and walk out. There are lots of police and fire engines at the scene. 'Cars were being turned round the wrong way on the A55 to come off and we are the last car coming off down a slip road. Looking behind us you can see the A55 is empty, apart from wagons and buses which are also now being turned around. There is still lots of black smoke. It is really hot and whatever caused the fire, it could have been caused by the heat.' The fire was brought under control, but the tunnel remained closed while emergency services worked at the scene. This morning North Wales Police and Traffic Wales confirmed the tunnel had reopened under a contraflow system, with the westbound carriageway remaining closed. A police statement this morning said: "A contraflow system is now in place on the A55 eastbound carriageway of the Conwy Tunnel. The westbound carriageway of the tunnel remains closed. "Motorists are being advised to allow extra time for their journey as delays are expected in the area. People are urged to check the Traffig Cymru Gogledd a Chanolbarth Traffic Wales North & Mid website and social media channels for the latest travel updates and information
