Around 150 people evacuated after vehicle fire in Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnel
Around 150 people were evacuated after a vehicle caught fire Thursday night in the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said that the highway was temporarily closed in both directions between the Breezewood and New Stanton exits due to a vehicle fire inside the tunnel, which is located approximately 80 miles east of Pittsburgh. Officials said it appears the engine compartment of a truck caught on fire around 8:15 p.m.
"He got the vehicle stopped once he realized it was on fire," said Mark Compton, CEO of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. "He got the pickup truck stopped, got out of the vehicle, and at that point is when the medical emergency happened."
Approximately 150 people from nearly 80 vehicles were evacuated from the westbound lanes of the tunnel and taken by bus to one of the Turnpike's maintenance sheds while crews worked to clear the scene, officials said. Around five hours after the fire, people returned to their vehicles and cleared the tunnel around 3 a.m. on Friday.
"It looked like it could have been a scene from Dante's Inferno, but without the flames," said Viviana Altieri, who was traveling from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
The Turnpike Commission said it is grateful to everyone who provided support during the emergency response, including the Pennsylvania State Police.
"Special recognition goes to our dedicated PA Turnpike maintenance, operations, traffic management, engineering teams, who supported customers and emergency operations, and worked to restore normal operations," a Turnpike Commission statement read.
Bollman Charter Service, which helped bus people to the Turnpike maintenance sheds, shared photos on social media, saying that "transportation is more than getting people from one place to another—it's about helping our communities, lending a hand, and ensuring people get to safety."
The westbound side of the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel reopened on Friday afternoon, officials said. Compton said there is no structural damage to the tunnel.
Drivers are being asked to slow down, obey traffic patterns, and exercise caution.
Travelers describe scene inside tunnel
Altieri said she came to a stop inside the tunnel, and shortly after, people began getting out of their vehicles.
"All of a sudden, all the cars inside started to stop. And then shortly after, people were getting out of their vehicles, urging everyone else to also turn off their engines," Altieri said. "They said there was a car that was in flames."
She said that once everyone had evacuated the tunnel, officials distributed blankets to those standing in a grassy area as they awaited further instructions.
"There was no panicking, there was no screaming, everyone was kind of just waiting to get instructions and really understanding a little bit about what was going on inside the tunnel," Altieri said.
While travelers were away from the scene, she said authorities began collecting car keys from each vehicle.
"We had to give the driving license and the key and all the relevant information of the vehicle so that when they could go back into the tunnel, they would analyze the status of everyone's vehicle and let us know," Altieri said. "At that point, it was probably 1 o'clock in the morning. Everyone was a little bit thinking about worst-case scenario about their vehicles."
Compton said that when officials were alerted to a possible fire, tunnel guards assisted with getting travelers out of the tunnel.
"The tunnel itself is equipped with what we call tunnel guards, which is basically what I've always called, ironically, firefighters, because they're the folks that sit at the end of the tunnel, and they watch, because when an event like this happens, you need to have eyes and ears on the scene right away," Compton said.
