Pittsburgh drivers recount escape from Squirrel Hill Tunnel after fiery crash
Pittsburgh drivers are recounting what it was like to evacuate the Squirrel Hill Tunnel after a vehicle caught fire, eventually sending thick plumes of smoke out of the tunnel entrance.
Countless people were forced to abandon their cars in the tunnel and find their way out, including Lisa Thomas.
"It was very chaotic," she said. "A little panicked. What do we do here? How do we get out of here?"
Video shared with KDKA-TV showed the car that had caught fire. It had crashed into a car ahead of it, which itself had crashed into a car ahead of it.
The driver of the car up front told KDKA-TV that an electric car had rear-ended him and caught fire almost immediately.
"I saw the smoke start billowing down the tunnel, and I realized that there was no exhaust fans in there, and I didn't know if the car was going to explode," Thomas said.
A PennDOT spokesperson relayed that there are fans inside the tunnel.
Thomas and her nonverbal autistic son left their car, heading to find a way out.
"I tried to use two of the doors to get to the other side of the tunnel, and neither one of them would open, so that was concerning," Thomas said. "So, like, all these people are just like rushing out of the tunnel, not able to use the doors."
The PennDOT spokesperson said the doors were inspected in July and were operational, adding that no one was reported unable to get through.
"There were a lot of children that were with their parents, and they were very scared," Thomas said.
They eventually found a door to get to the other tunnel. They and many others stood outside the tunnel entrance. But Thomas' husband remained inside their car in the tunnel.
"It was really difficult, but he wanted to do the right thing," she said.
He was worried their car would prevent first responders from getting to the car on fire, so he wanted to wait to move it.
"But then he eventually had to exit the vehicle himself because the smoke was so bad," Thomas said. "There are people coming out with soot, just covered in soot. Like my husband had soot, my car had soot."
Despite all the smoke, just two minor injuries were reported.
PennDOT says its inspection found no structural damage, and that electrical repairs would be completed as needed.
The driver of one of the cars involved in the crash praised the kindness, professionalism and compassion of first responders and officials who helped them, specifically mentioning a fire battalion chief who went back to their car to retrieve his son's phone, which is important for a medical device.
