Massive Response To Green River Tunnel Crash, Death Toll May Rise

The Wyoming Highway Patrol on Saturday said fatalities could rise as the number of vehicles involved in a massive crash inside a tunnel on I-80 near Green River has not yet been confirmed. First responders worked through the night to fight the fire inside the tunnel.

Zakary Sonntag for Cowboy State Daily
February 15, 2025
4 min read


Emergency crews worked around the clock responding to a massive crash and fire in the Green River Tunnel on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Wyoming Department of Transportation)

GREEN RIVER — Departments and agencies from across Wyoming rushed to Green River on Friday after a spectacular and tragic crash in the Green River Tunnel along Interstate 80.
It was a frantic rescue and recovery effort that continued around the clock into Saturday, underscoring the severity of the fatal and fiery pileup that left at least two confirmed dead, and possibly more.
Wyoming Highway Patrol reports Saturday morning the count of fatalities and injured could rise as the number of vehicles involved in the crash has not been confirmed.

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This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.

Fire, Weakened Structure Keeps Responders Out Of Tunnel For Hours; Motorists Run For Safety

Fire and rescue crews at an explosive tunnel collision outside Green River could not enter the tunnel for hours Friday after the initial crash. The fire inside was too intense, and the tunnel’s structure had been weakened. Motorists inside the tunnel had to run for safety.

Clair McFarland, Jimmy Orr & Andrew Rossi
February 14, 2025
5 min read


An investigation is underway at the Green River Tunnel along Interstate 80 after a fatal multi-vehicle crash sparked explosions and an intense fire inside Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Wyoming Department of Transportation)

Fire and rescue crews at an explosive tunnel collision outside Green River, Wyoming, could not enter the tunnel as of 3 p.m. Friday, hours after the initial crash, because the fire inside was too intense to approach, the local sheriff’s office reports.

Crews entered both ends as much as they could, but the combination of vehicle obstructions, raging fire, explosions, and falling concrete kept them from going in farther and ultimately led them to evacuate, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office added in a later statement.

Multiple vehicles crashed in the westbound lane of the Green River Tunnel on interstate 80 late Friday morning, leading to at least two fatalities outside the tunnel. … Full fatality counts and other details from inside the tunnel weren’t known as of Friday afternoon.

It appears a tractor trailer loaded with transformers was involved in the tunnel crash, and the transformers were exploding throughout the midday hours, Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jason Mower told Cowboy State Daily. … As of 3 p.m., the explosions had stalled for about 15 minutes, he said, but an intense, “raging” fire barred anyone from approaching the tunnel’s interior.

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