I-90 East was closed for seven hours on Monday, May 12, due to a motorhome fire in the Mount Baker Tunnel. The collision also resulted in the closure of north- and southbound I-5 and the Fourth Avenue ramps to eastbound I-90.

The RV fire started at 12:40 p.m. after a collision with another car, leading to the tunnel’s closure until 7:15 p.m. and causing significant backups in Seattle. Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene and contained the fire by 12:50 p.m. There was an additional car fire on I-5 South that caused even more delays, the two incidents resulting in a major backup on the freeways. The smaller car fire blocked all lanes of the freeway and led to a minor closure that was quickly reopened; however, the accumulated traffic lasted significantly longer.

Thankfully, no injuries were sustained in either fire, but a restriction on flammable cargo transport has been implemented on the Mercer Island Lid tunnels and the Mount Baker Tunnel until further notice.