The incident took place on the A71 highway near Suhl (Thuringia) in Germany on Thursday evening (February 8). According to him”Build“, a Polish driver was driving through almost eight kilometers of tunnel. At one point the trailer he was carrying cars in caught fire.
The Germans hailed the Pole as a hero. Driver Rensteeg drove the flaming rope truck out of the tunnel
The driver stopped the vehicle and tried to extinguish the fire to no avail. So he activated the alarm at a nearby emergency bay, returned to his vehicle, and then drove toward the exit. He had six kilometers left in the tunnel, and the fire spread further and further throughout the trailer.
According to “Bild” news, the fire brigade arrived at the last second and the driver stopped the vehicle and went to safety. Police closed traffic in both directions on the A71 motorway until the operation was completed.
Losses are estimated at EUR 250,000. “It's been a knife-edge ride, but it's been great.”
Web homepage mdr.de A tow truck and six of the nine vehicles being transported were reportedly gutted during the fire. Losses are estimated at 250,000 Euro. No one was injured. – It is definitely the right decision for the driver to continue driving. Otherwise, the whole situation will definitely get worse, said an employee of the highway police control center in Thuringia. – In such cases, try to get out of the tunnel if possible. This is the most important. In this case, of course, it was a knife-edge ride, but it still went well, said Cornelius Blanke, a spokesman for subway operator Rennsteig.
The Rennsteig Tunnel is approximately eight kilometers long and is considered the longest road tunnel in Germany. It was built between 1998 and 2003 at a cost of around 200 million Euro. According to plans, the facility will be renovated over the next few years.