The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire (1999): How a Tunnel Became a Death Trap

Описание: n 1999, a truck caught fire inside the Mont Blanc Tunnel. What should have been survivable became one of Europe’s deadliest infrastructure disasters.

Thirty-nine people died as smoke spread through a tunnel that wasn’t prepared to contain it, and in 2005, 16 defendants (including operators, safety officials, and even VOLVO!) were brought to trial to answer for what went wrong.

In this episode of RCR Stories, I’ll break down:

How the fire started

How ventilation and split French/Italian control made the smoke worse

Why emergency procedures and drills failed

What the court decided and how this was avoidable

The reforms that changed tunnel safety across Europe

And the real story of the motorcyclist who became a legend

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Timestamps
00:00 Prologue
01:45 It Was A Normal Wednesday Morning
06:00 The Fire Breaks Out
10:30 Surviving the Flames
15:54 The Trial / How Did the Fire Start?
20:00 Why the System Failed to Prevent This
25:28 The Dangers of Mont Blanc Tunnel
27:56 The Verdict
34:14 Heroes of the Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire
39:11 Sources and Photo Credits

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