PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A huge car fire shut down all lanes in the Downtown Tunnel in Portsmouth Tuesday night.
Video of crews working on the fire shows smoke moving in a very specific direction out of the tunnel. For some, it was a good indication that the fans in the tunnel worked, but did you know they run year-round?
"Our fans are capable of running 24/7 and they adjust to the natural flow of cars as they proceed through the tunnel. For example, if you were to drive through right now you would maybe see the fan blades moving just because of the velocity of the cars that are going through. They turn naturally but we have full control of them," said Carley Brierre with Elizabeth River Crossings in an email to WTKR.
Watch: Video shows moment car fire starts in Downtown Tunnel
Video courtesy: “Traffic Cam Watch”
The purpose of these fans are twofold:
Of course, they act as a safety feature, making sure smoke can be driven out if there's a fire.
However, the second purpose is less obvious. The fans also get rid of fossil fuels that build up in the tunnel, acting as a ventilation system of sorts.
Watch: Crews extinguishing car fire in Downtown Tunnel
This means the fans run year-round and their speed is increased when there is an emergency, like Tuesday night's fire.
Without those fans turning year round, you’d be able to smell it when you drive through the tunnel, and it would not be great for your body either.
"Fans are also automatically activated when there’s a visibility issue or high levels of vehicle emissions. We have preset fire plans which is what our team in the control room activated yesterday, as a result all fans were turned on to extract the smoke and heat," Brierre said.
Ryan McLane, Director of Operations and Maintenance for Elizabeth River Crossings, also talked about more safety features including 16 cameras that he says are mounted in the Downtown Tunnel.
"Our operation center is staffed 24/7," stated McLane. "We have a team of 4 inside the control room monitoring our traffic surveillance system. Surveillance cameras are part of that."
He also said, "Inside the tunnel, we have a series of fire standpipes which are essentially mini fire hydrants inside the tunnel which supply the water for the fire department to connect their equipment to."
McLane said while it can be a complicated process to deal with a tunnel fire and the traffic that goes along with it, Elizabeth River Crossings employees train frequently for these types of emergencies.
