'I thought it might explode' - driver's terror as huge fire breaks out in A55 tunnel

A woman has spoken of the terrifying moment she passed a vehicle fire in the Conwy Tunnel which led to a major incident being declared. The huge blaze has led to the closure of the A55 in both directions at the tunnels under the Afon Conwy.
This has caused massive tailbacks on the A55 and impacted other roads in the area as drivers look for alternative routes. You can get all the latest updates on this incident here.
It is understood a crane vehicle burst into flames inside the tunnel. One person described going past the smoking vehicle on the westbound carriageway.
Eira D'Arcy, who was travelling to Anglesey, said: "The tunnel was still open when we came through.
"It was scary as I thought it may explode and wanted to get out of the tunnel." Another driver spoke about emerging from the tunnel and seeing smoke billowing into the sky.
Marcus Copeland said: "We were coming back from Anglesey when we saw some white smoke coming from the tunnel, then lots of thick black smoke started coming out. We were the closest vehicle to the tunnel at that point, so we pulled over into a slip road and walked up the bank, there was acrid black smoke everywhere. It was really bad.
"You could here audio messages in the tunnel telling people to leave their vehicles and walk out. There are lots of police and fire engines at the scene.
"Cars were being turned round the wrong way on the A55 to come off and we are the last car coming off down a slip road. Looking behind us you can see the A55 is empty, apart from wagons and buses which are also now being turned around. There is still lots of black smoke.
"It is really hot and whatever caused the fire, it could have been caused by the heat." North Wales Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident just before 4pm on Thursday.
A spokesperson said: "This has now been declared a major incident. We're working with multi-agency partners to control the fire, protect the environment and re-open the tunnel as soon as its safe to do so.

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