Raw video: I-77 tunnel fire injures 2 firefighters
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Traffic is returning back to normal after a tractor-trailer fire Friday night shut down the northbound lanes of the East River Mountain Tunnel.
After re-opening the southbound lanes Friday night at 10:30 pm, one northbound lane was re-opened Saturday morning while workers continued to inspect the tunnel. The original fire started around 3 pm Friday after a tractor-trailer driver told emergency service personnel that his engine was acting up. The fire lasted for more than two hours before being extinguished.
Bill Archer, Bluefield Daily Telegraph:
Two firefighters at Bluefield’s No. 3 Station on Cumberland Road — Darrin Haynes and Josh Parks — were the first on the scene, according to Bluefield Fire Chief Jeff Warden.
“They were pushed back by the fire the first time, but they regrouped, went back in and with the collaborative efforts of all the departments there, they were able to get water on that fire,” Warden said. He said the firefighters returned through the southbound lanes of the tunnel, dragged hose through the cross-over nearest the fire, and crawled the final 600 feet to the fire.
“It was a gut-wrenching moment for me when they were up there in total darkness with no communications,” Warden said. “It was hard not being able to communicate with my men, but I was proud of how they got to the fire.”
