A truck loaded with tires and another carrying glue caught fire along with four other vehicles Saturday inside an Alpine tunnel between France and Italy, killing at least two people, officials said.
One victim was a truck driver who had fled his vehicle and ran about a half-mile through heavy smoke to a safety zone before collapsing, said French regional official Sylvaine Astic. The body of a second person was found in the same area, she said.
Temperatures inside the Frejus tunnel reached up to 1,650 degrees, said Lt. Col. Michel Decker of the Savoie region fire brigade, adding that the glue contained polymer resins that grow toxic when heated.
Decker said a total of six vehicles were burned — four trucks and two fire vehicles.
An investigation of the fire's cause was under way.
