Vehicle fire in Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels causes Interstate 70 closure Monday

A vehicle fire inside the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels closed both directions of Interstate 70 around 1 p.m. on Monday, July 17. 

Colorado Department of Transportation spokesperson Tamara Rollison said a transit van made it about 100 yards into the western bore of the tunnels before it caught fire around 12:50 p.m., causing a multimillion-dollar fire suppression system to activate. Firefighters from Clear Creek County arrived around 1:09 p.m. as Summit Fire & EMS crews made their way to the scene. 

CDOT immediately closed the tunnels entirely, rerouting traffic over Loveland Pass via U.S. Highway 6, to allow crews to put out the fire, assess damage and ensure the tunnel was structurally sound and safe for motorists to use.

The westbound bore suffered minor damage to tile and lighting fixtures near the burnt vehicle. 

Rollinson said her department is unaware of any injuries caused as a result of the fire. Colorado State Police did not return an interview request regarding the fire as of deadline Monday. 

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The eastbound lanes of traffic reopened around 2:12 p.m. while one lane of westbound traffic reopened by 3:30 p.m. 

While the tunnels are scheduled to see one-lane closures from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays due to construction expected to last until June 2024, a one-lane closure was in place for several hours Monday to allow crews to inspect the damage. 

The tunnels have outlasted multiple vehicle fires in recent years. One vehicle fire broke out on Jan. 28, 2019, causing a full closure. A small vehicle fire on Jan. 3, 2018 resulted in a multihour closure. 

The tunnel sees an average of two to three fires each year, which are primarily caused by overheated engines or brakes. 

The prevalence of fires caused as vehicles make their way through the Continental Divide prompted the Colorado Department of Transportation to install a $20 million fire suppression system in 2015. Prior to the state of the art system, it took crews eight to 10 minutes to respond to emergencies within the tunnel since the nearest fire station is more than 15 minutes away. 

Built in the late 1960s, the tunnel is now fabricated with fiber-optic heat sensors that will sound an alarm if too much heat is detected. A sprinkler system uses mist and foam to contain any fire, buying time for crews to arrive on scene to fully extinguish the flames.

This story is from SummitDaily.com.