However, after an indication of a serious problem with the train, the driver stopped at 21:58 CET, 19 kilometres (12 mi) into the tunnel.

When the fire was confirmed a few minutes later, the control centre restricted the speed of all trains in the tunnels to 100 km/h (62 mph) and attempted to close the piston relief ducts and doors in the crossover caverns to limit the area of the tunnel affected by smoke.

The train was brought to a controlled stop adjacent to a door leading to the service tunnel, at 21:58, about 19 km (12 mi) from the French portal.

Initially, there was confusion as to the location of the train and the French team found the passengers in the service tunnel at 22:28.

The driver was rescued from his cab a minute later and a search of the coach and front locomotive confirmed no-one was on board the train.

The water supply was restricted, mainly due to leaking pipework in the south running tunnel, and the number of jets was reduced until a Eurotunnel engineer reconfigured the valves.

The chalk marl showed no signs of failing or collapsing but colliery arches were installed as a precaution.

The civil engineering work, repairing the tunnel wall, was completed by the French contractor Freyssinet in 60 days.

This was followed by the replacement of the track, overhead line and signalling by Eurotunnel, completed in less than a month, and the tunnel was fully reopened on 15 May 1997.

[20] The concept of an 'unconfirmed alarm' meant that the incident was not treated seriously until five minutes after the train entered the tunnel on fire.

[22] Furthermore, control centre staff were overwhelmed, having not been sufficiently trained for an emergency, and were using procedures and systems that were complex.

This led to, for example, the supplementary ventilation system being brought online late and running incorrectly for fifteen minutes.

Eurotunnel's policy of attempting to drive trains through the tunnel in the event of an on-board fire with a backup plan of uncoupling the locomotive and amenity coach and driving out were abandoned and replaced by plans to bring trains to a controlled stop and evacuate the occupants into the service tunnel.

Liaison between Eurotunnel and emergency services was improved with joint exercises and exchanges of personnel between the British and French fire brigades, so that each had experience with the other's operational procedures.