A fiery pileup turned a quiet Friday morning into a nightmare as an inferno raged inside an Interstate 80 tunnel in southwestern Wyoming claiming at least two lives, and leaving five others seriously injured, forcing a total shutdown of the highway. 

The crash, a horrific chain reaction involving multiple semi-trucks and vehicles, sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky from both ends of the quarter-mile long tunnel, visible for miles over Green River.  

Thick plumes of black smoke and exploding tires made getting inside difficult for rescuers, Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper Nicholas Warren said.

The crash in the twin tunnel’s westbound tube late on Friday morning closed the highway in both directions, with still no estimate by late afternoon when it would reopen. 

First responders arrived to a scene of devastation and even hours later at 3pm were still unable to enter the tunnel because the fire inside was too intense to approach the Sheriff’s office said.

Anyone trapped in the tunnel would have been forced to escape on foot through the smoke and darkness. 

Rescuers desperately tried to reach victims, but the tunnel’s structure – now compromised by falling concrete and searing heat – turned into a death trap. 

Crews entered from both ends and went as far as they could, but a combination of vehicle obstructions, fire and explosions kept them from going in any further and ultimately forced them to evacuate.

A fiery pileup Friday at an Interstate 80 tunnel in southwestern Wyoming killed at least two people, seriously injured at least five others and shut down the highway

The crash involved an unknown number of trucks and other vehicles inside and outside the tunnel at Green River

For those inside the tunnel, the only option was a desperate escape on foot through blinding smoke and darkness. 

With visibility near zero and the air thick with toxic fumes, survivors stumbled toward any glimmer of light, hoping to make it out alive. 

It appears a tractor trailer loaded with transformers was involved in the tunnel crash, and the transformers were exploding, according to Cowboy State Daily. 

‘We are containing the scene now because there’s nothing else we can do, given the conditions inside the tunnel,’ Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jason Mower said. ‘Both the nature of the fire and now the structural integrity inside the tunnel itself.’ 

Longtime residents of Green River, a town of just over 11,500 people, described the scene as like something out of a disaster movie. 

‘We heard and felt the huge explosions,’ Alyssa Brewer said. ‘They went on for 30-45 minutes.

‘They had EMTs and sheriffs running in with hospital bags because they couldn’t get the ambulance through,’ Alyssa told Cowboy State Daily. ‘It was very, very scary. We were only 200 yards from the tunnel when it happened.’

Another nearby resident heard a huge boom when the explosion inside the tunnel occurred. 

‘My daughter and I heard multiple booms that sounded like cars running into each other,’ Green River resident Jennifer Lynn Carr said. ‘She was terrified and panicked, and I told her it would be OK. But it was pretty scary.’ 

Thick black smoke and exploding tires made getting inside difficult for rescuers

First responders could not enter the tunnel as of 3pm on Friday, several hours after the initial crash, because the fire inside was too intense to approach the Sheriff’s office said

The quarter-mile tunnel goes under Castle Rock, a sandstone formation that stands over Green River, the Sweetwater County seat of 11,500 people

Another local, Stan Blake, also knew things were bad when he saw smoke billowing into the sky.

‘Sure, there have been crashes in the tunnels before, but not like this,’ Blake said.

‘I’ve never seen black smoke billowing out of both ends of the tunnel. This is really, really bad. It’s ugly.’ 

Highway traffic was being rerouted through Green River.

As of Friday afternoon, emergency teams were still unable to enter the tunnel, making it impossible to know how many vehicles and lives were lost in the wreckage. 

A statement from nearby Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County urged people not to visit unless they had an emergency or family in the ‘mass casualty’ wreck. 

‘My heart is broken for the families and loved ones of the victims of this terrible crash,’ WYDOT Director Darin Westby said in a statement. 

‘My thoughts and prayers go out to all who are involved. WYDOT and WHP remain on scene to assist local emergency responders and provide additional support and traffic control.’ 

The quarter-mile tunnel goes under Castle Rock, a sandstone formation that stands over Green River, the Sweetwater County seat of 11,500 people.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation said on social media that geologists and bridge engineers with its team were ‘to assess the tunnel infrastructure.’ 

‘We want to express our sincerest appreciation to first responders in Sweetwater County for their support and assistance in responding to this tragic crash,’ Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Col. Karl Germain said in a statement.

‘Motorists are reminded to obey posted speed limits through the detour, and delays are likely.’