First image of crane lorry destroyed by fire which shut A55 Conwy Tunnel
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 https://orlo.uk/Etc85"
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