The Channel Tunnel, closed after a fire broke out in a truck loaded on a train, could soon reopen to some traffic, UPI quoted officials as saying. Channel Tunnel officials had warned not to expect service Friday. Once the fire was extinguished, however, authorities reconsidered whether to reopen the underwater link between Britain and France, Sky News reported. "I think, without making any promise, that the service could get back to half capacity during the day," Eurotunnel Chairman Jacques Gounon said. Gounon told Sky News the north tunnel where a freight shuttle caught fire would be closed for several weeks. "By luck there is the south tunnel which is absolutely intact," Gounon said. The fire Thursday spread from the truck where it originated to at least two other vehicles. Rescue workers evacuated 32 people. Six people suffered smoke inhalation, Sky News reported. The tunnel -- used by express trains and shuttles ferrying trucks and passenger vehicles between Folkestone, England, and Calais, France -- has three passages, two for normal train traffic and the third for emergencies and service. The fire canceled train service, stranding thousands of passengers in London, Sky News said.
