One of the road tunnels that form part of the Brussels Inner Ring Road was closed to traffic on Monday afternoon due to a vehicle fire. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Motorists are advised to steer clear of the Rogier Tunnel.
At around 12:10pm on Monday the Brussels Fire Service was called out to tackle a fire in the Rogier Tunnel. The video footage above shows a plume of black smoke billowing from the tunnel at the IJzer exit. The Fire Service reports that by 12:35 the fire had been extinguished, but the vehicle had completely burned out.
No one was injured in the fire, the cause of which is still being investigated. Cables that supply the tunnel with electricity have been damaged. A further investigation will examine whether the tunnel has suffered additional damage as a result of the fire.
Tunnel closed
The Brussels Fire Service has called on motorists to avoid the area. The Brussels regional transport agency Mobiris has increase increased the power of the tunnel’s ventilation system in order to extract the smoke from the fire a quickly as possible. The Rogier Tunnel remains closed in both directions. It is still unclear when it will reopen.