France ? The undersea train tunnel that has revolutionized travel between France and England can reopen and traffic should resume “progressively,” the operator said late Friday, after firefighters extinguished an intense blaze earlier in the day.

Eurotunnel, which operates the tunnel, said technical checks confirmed one of the two tunnels was ready to be reopened, with cargo trains and shuttles for trucks starting again perhaps as soon as overnight.

Eurostar, which operates sleek high-speed passenger trains through the tunnel, said it would not resume services before today at the earliest.

Firefighters endured extreme temperatures and cramped quarters as they put out the blaze.

The fire deep under the English Channel left the British Isles cut off for more than a day from continental Europe other than by sea or air – the only routes that existed before the undersea tunnel opened to passengers in 1994.