BOSTON — Three vehicles were caught in flames after a crash in Boston’s Ted Williams Tunnel on Friday afternoon. The accident happened just after 4 p.m. on the HOV ramp from I-93 north to I-90 east.
One witness told WBZ-TV they heard several loud explosions, then a pause before several more, and reported seeing people running from the tunnel, while another witness said they saw debris falling on their car.
Several people were treated for smoke inhalation
Boston firefighters quickly extinguished two of the burning cars, but the third, a hybrid vehicle, took longer to extinguish, according to the Boston Fire Department.
Six people were in the vehicle. Three were taken to the hospital by Boston EMS, and several were treated for smoke inhalation, state police said.
Boston Fire
Michael Crum was in the tunnel at the time. “My first thought when I saw the flames was, is everybody OK? Next person OK? Are we OK?,” Crum said. “Then I started to see smoke and flames.”
Crum was in a car driven by Julie Brownell, and the pair had just turned onto an on-ramp to I-90 eastbound from the South End.
“I had the windows up, the sunroof open, and I heard an explosion,” Brownell said. “I didn’t know if part of the car had exploded or what was actually going on. Like Michael said, there was so much smoke you could barely see anything.”
Crum said he tried to run to the car to check on his passengers, but the flames and explosions intensified.
Michael Crum
He described a coordinated dance of drivers helping each other turn their cars around as they worked to make space for emergency workers.
“It was like we were all dancing, and it ended a lot quicker than I thought it would,” Crum said. “It felt like we were all one.”
The burnt vehicle was pulled from the tunnel and towed to a nearby state police station.
“It’s a horrible scene. It looks like the car was totally destroyed,” Brownell said. “I’m just thankful that everybody’s safe.”
Two ramps closed after fire
Due to the fire, Holiday Travel Weekend.
The eastbound HOV and Frontage Road ramps were closed for approximately six hours after the fire. All debris was removed and the ramps reopened by 10 p.m.
The fire damaged lighting, wall tiles and pavement in the ramp area. The road is passable and the damage will be repaired at a later date, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
