All that remains of lorry in tunnel fire

THIS is the first image of a crane lorry which was destroyed by a fire that shut the Conwy Tunnel in both directions on the A55 on Thursday.

- By STEVE BAGNALL Daily Post Reporter

The vehicle caught fire in the tunnel shortly before 2pm on Thursday.

A major incident was declared as acrid black smoke billowed out.

Other people were urged to leave their vehicles and exit immediately, as emergency services arrived at the scene, with fire crews getting to work to extinguish the blaze.

Motorists approaching the tunnel watched in horror as eerie electronic messages warning of an 'emergency' sent shivers across North Wales.

Penmaenbach Tunnel was also closed, throwing much of North West Wales into gridlock, with long traffic jams forming around the area.

First to report the fire was Traffic Wales, which simply stated: "Warning - vehicle fire. Emergency services are on scene."

Photos and videos soon emerged on social media showing black smoke spewing from the tunnel.

One witness described hearing audio messages in the tunnel telling people to 'leave their vehicles and walk out.'