M4 Brynglas tunnel fire: Road partly shut 'for days'

The lorry fire causes long tailbacks on the M4 motorway

Part of the south Wales M4 could be shut for days after a lorry fire in the Brynglas tunnels at Newport, Transport Minister Carl Sargeant has warned.

The road was closed in both directions between J24 (Coldra) and J28 (Tredegar Park) after the incident at 08:30 BST on Tuesday causing long delays.
Fire crews finally put out the blaze in the westbound tunnel by mid-afternoon.
A contraflow system has been set up in the reopened eastbound tunnel but there were warnings of continued delays.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "South Wales Fire and Rescue have now confirmed that the fire is completely extinguished.
"Structural engineers will now enter the westbound tunnel to carry out an assessment of any damage caused.

The westbound Brynglas tunnel is likely to remain closed for several days

"Traffic congestion is now obviously a major concern and we would urge any motorists planning on using the M4 in south east Wales to make alternative arrangements."
Further road closures have been introduced to ease congestion.

Lowri Morgan Etap hotel receptionist

The A449 south of Raglan was closed and traffic stuck there was being released via the A449 Abernant interchange.

On the M4, junction 30 (Pentwyn) was being closed to prevent further tailbacks, while junction 32 (Coryton) was scheduled to close eastbound to enable stationary cars on the M4 in the tunnel area to leave the motorway.
Earlier, Steve Price, group manager at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The westbound side of the tunnel will remain closed until further notice due to damage caused by the fire to the overhead gantry and because the lorry and its cargo still remain within the tunnel."
The service said no other vehicles were involved in the fire. The lorry driver got out safely and there were no injuries, a spokesman added.
Earlier, incident commander Adrian Moyes said fire crews arriving at the scene faced large volumes of black smoke coming from the western side of the tunnel.

Traffic was halted as smoke billowed from the Brynglas tunnels at Newport

"One lorry was well alight on arrival and crews were immediately employed to ensure no persons remained within this or any other vehicle within the tunnel," he said.
"They then proceeded to tackle the blaze and are bringing the incident under control."
At a nearby hotel, eyewitnesses reported seeing dark clouds billowing from the tunnel just after 09:00 BST.
"There was a lot of black smoke," said Lowri Morgan, receptionist at the Etap hotel, which is situated on the west side of the tunnels alongside the eastbound carriageway.

Alun Davies AM via Twitter

"I didn't know anything had happened until a guest mentioned it to me.

"I went up to the top of the hotel and all you could see was the thick black smoke. It was rising above the level of the lampposts.
Lengthy traffic tailbacks have developed on the M4 and adjacent routes in the area.
Among those caught in the queues was agriculture minister Alun Davies, who tweeted: "Gridlock on the M4 at Newport. Haven't moved for 45 mins."
Another, Buddug Cole, was travelling with her husband and two children, from Cardiff to Heathrow Airport to catch a holiday flight to Seattle, USA, when they were caught in the disruption.
"We travelled two miles in about two hours," she said. "We know we are not flying today basically, even if we had a free run from here."
Another motorist said she had taken 1hr 45min to travel from J23 at Magor to J24 at the Coldra.
The motorway was also temporarily closed in February when a car caught fire in the westbound tunnel.

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