WITH hindsight it seemed all too predictable that a fire on the Kitzsteinhorn
ski train would end in tragedy. The train ran in a steep, narrow tunnel, making
escape difficult. It had only two fire extinguishers. There was no sprinkler
system. There was no evacuation plan.
All tunnels are vulnerable to fire. When a fire starts in a confined space,
temperatures soar and dense fumes often make escape impossible. But the steep
gradient of the Austrian tunnel made it especially vulnerable. Any fire in a
sloping tube will burn ferociously and spread rapidly because of the “chimney
effect”
(see p…
