French coach driver hailed a hero

A French coach driver is this morning being hailed a hero after he saved 37 British skiers’ lives when their coach caught fire. According to a report in today’s Daily Mail, fire broke out on the coach as it entered a mile-long tunnel near the resort of Courchevel. But instead of panicking and stopping the coach, which experts say could have proved fatal, the driver drove through the tunnel with the passengers huddled together at the front, until it was safe for them to disembark. The entire coach reportedly burst into flames just moments later. A French fire expert reportedly told the Mail: “The passengers have this driver to thank for all escaping safely and losing nothing more than their luggage. He did the right thing; he remained calm under huge pressure and got the coach out of the tunnel. A blazing vehicle in a tunnel traps the heat, which can build up very quickly and travel through the tunnel faster than people can run.”