UPDATE, 9:30 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect the response to the crash has shifted to a recovery effort and to add another witness account.
Emergency response to a massive pileup inside the Green River Tunnel along Interstate 80 on Friday that claimed the lives of at least two people has shifted focus from rescue to recovery.
The massive crash involved multiple semitrailers and other vehicles, and caused an intense fire that sent thick clouds of black smoke out both sides of the tunnel. Witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions, along with other loud noises believed to be tires popping.
At Green River City Hall just below the tunnel, it all seemed to unfold like a disaster movie, said Steve Core, communications administrator for the city.
“I got to tell you, I moved here in 1985, and to see what I saw today was just — it was sad,” Core told Cowboy State Daily. “You knew when you saw smoke billowing out of one side, and smoke billowing out of the other side, you knew it was not good.”
The crash happened before noon, but it was hours before anyone could get close because of the fire and concerns about the tunnel’s structural integrity. Core said that contrary to speculation by some, the tunnel has not collapsed.
But just how damaged it may be isn’t known, he said.
Wyoming Department of Transportation engineers responded and arrived just before dark, he said.
“But I have not heard anything about what they found,” Core said.
What he does know for sure is that the emergency response at the scene has shifted from a rescue operation to recovery. Weather that includes any other possible human casualties, Core said he doesn’t know.
What has been confirmed by officials is that at least two people outside the tunnel were killed.
For Green River residents, the magnitude and scope of the tunnel crash is hard to comprehend, Core said, adding that it could take awhile to determine how much it will impact the city.
“The city is very sorrowful for what happened,” he said. “It’s a bad deal, it’s a really bad deal. … I’ve lived her a long time, and seeing that was very discouraging, saddening. It was like, ‘Oh my God, this is really happening.’”
'Mass Casualty Incident'
Heavy, black smoke billowed out of both ends of the Green River tunnels along Interstate 80 after a multivehicle pileup and fire inside Friday afternoon.
“There are fatalities, but I don’t know any details on those at this time,” John Eddins, district engineer for Wyoming Department of Transportation District 3, told Cowboy State Daily. “I don’t know the cause of the accident, but it involved several semis and a couple of passenger vehicles.”
Both directions of I-80 are closed, and the volatile situation remains an “explosion threat,” the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office reports.
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County asked people to avoid the hospital temporarily unless they are in an emergency, were involved in this incident or are the immediate family of someone involved in this incident.
The hospital called the crash a “mass casualty incident” and said it is working to take care of those involved in a statement released Friday.
The hospital’s walk-in clinic is still open for those needing non-emergency care, the statement says.
Green River Fire Chief Bill Robinson said he wasn’t ready to discuss the situation as of 2:30 p.m., except to note the tunnel would be closed indefinitely and that “it’s going to be days before we can work through all this stuff that’s going on.”
Tires on vehicles at the scene are exploding due to the heat, the Wyoming Highway Patrol announced Friday.
At least two fatalities are confirmed to have happened outside the tunnel, the WHP statement adds.
Truck Hauling Transformers
State Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs, told the Wyoming Senate on Friday that the crash that occurred in the westbound lane of I-80 is causing the tunnel to collapse.
He said authorities believe the accident was caused by a semitruck hauling transformers that had its oil catch on fire.
“It’s going to be pretty devastating for the area, most importantly for those folks that lost their lives,” he said.
The Senate took a prayer and moment of silence for the victims of the tunnel accident after Kolb delivered this news.
‘Huge Explosions’
David Brewer and his daughter Alyssa, both of Kemmerer, were on their way home after visiting Rock Springs for an OBGYN appointment.
David told Cowboy State Daily were about 200 yards from the tunnel when traffic stopped, and he started hearing multiple explosions while black smoke poured out of the tunnel.
“We heard and felt the huge explosions,” 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 said. “It was very, very scary.”
Brewer said they were stuck in traffic for about 90 minutes.
“We don’t have an OBGYN in our area anymore, so we have to come here,” she said. “We were only 200 yards from the tunnel when it happened.”
'Enormous Boom'
Green River resident Jennifer Lynn Carr was going to pick up her daughter, who was out shoveling snow for her neighbors, when she heard an enormous boom from the Green River Tunnel.
“It happened around noon or so,” Carr told Cowboy State Daily. “I walked outside and heard a boom, looked up, and saw a plume of smoke coming out of the tunnel.”
Within half an hour, smoke was billowing out of both ends of the tunnel.
Carr, who lives roughly a mile from I-80, has an unobstructed view of the outside of the tunnel.
“My daughter and I heard multiple booms that sounded like cars running into each other,” she said. “She was terrified and panicked, and I told her it would be OK. But it was pretty scary.”
'Never Happened Before'
Former Sweetwater County legislator Stan Blake was out shoveling the snow on his sidewalk when he saw the smoke coming out from the tunnels.
The longtime Rock Springs resident said he’s never seen anything like it before.
“Sure, there have been crashes in the tunnels before but not like this. I’ve never seen black smoke billowing out of both ends of the tunnel. This is really, really bad. It’s ugly.”
Closed
At least one vehicle caught fire, sending black smoke billowing out of the tunnel, Eddins said. Firefighters had responded to the scene from both sides of the tunnel by 1:30 p.m.
WYDOT also closed I-80 between Rawlins and Rock Springs to reduce traffic headed for Green River. Eddins said there would be no estimated reopening time until the tunnel could be thoroughly inspected for damage.
“We're routing westbound traffic around the tunnels toward Flaming Gorge through Green River,” he said. “We won’t know when we can reopen until we get in there and inspect the tunnels.
“We have personnel from the geology and state bridge engineering offices on the way and electrical technicians on standby.”
The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office cautions drivers to avoid the area “due to a multivehicle pileup, active fire and explosion threat.”
Editor's note: This is an evolving story and will be updated and information is available.
MORE: Fire, Weakened Structure Keeps Emergency Responders Out Of Green River Tunnel
Smoke pouring out of tunnels near Green River, Wyoming, on Friday, February 14, 2025 (David Brewer) 
Heavy, black smoke continues to billow out of both ends of the Green River tunnels along Interstate 80 after a fatal multivehicle pileup and fire inside Friday afternoon. People in traffic report “huge explosions.” (Wyoming Department of Transportation via Webcam) 
Heavy, black smoke continues to billow out of both ends of the Green River tunnels along Interstate 80 after a fatal multivehicle pileup and fire inside Friday afternoon. People in traffic report “huge explosions.” (Wyoming Department of Transportation via Webcam) 
Heavy, black smoke continues to billow out of both ends of the Green River tunnels along Interstate 80 after a fatal multivehicle pileup and fire inside Friday afternoon. People in traffic report “huge explosions.” (Wyoming Department of Transportation via Webcam) 
Heavy, black smoke continues to billow out of both ends of the Green River tunnels along Interstate 80 after a fatal multivehicle pileup and fire inside Friday afternoon. People in traffic report “huge explosions.” 
Heavy, black smoke continues to billow out of both ends of the Green River tunnels along Interstate 80 after a fatal multivehicle pileup and fire inside Friday afternoon. People in traffic report “huge explosions.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com, Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com and Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
