"On July 18th, 2001, a sticky afternoon in Baltimore, a 60-car freight train carrying toxic chemicals unexpectedly derailed and caught fire deep in the Howard Street Tunnel," the show summary says. "Firefighters and emergency management workers battled the inferno for five days."
The accident sparked a raging fire that paralyzed the city, shutting down several city blocks above the tunnel, the Orioles ballpark, and part of the Inner Harbor. The fire also caused a water-main break, power outages and interrupted Internet traffic across the country.
The fire presented unusual dangers and firefighters were unsure what to expect. In addition to fire and hazardous materials, they faced the weakening structural integrity of the site. Several emergency workers became ill after suffering chest pain or getting overcome by the heat. Fire officials reported seeing glowing metal and estimated the blaze at nearly 1,500 degrees.
The Discovery Channel show, "Baltimore Tunnel Fire," will also air on Friday, March 14 at 12 a.m. and Saturday, March 15 at 3 p.m. EST.
Full Firehouse.Com Coverage: Underground Train Blaze Rocks Downtown Baltimore http://www.firehouse.com/news/2001/7/18_APtrain.html
