Holiday shoppers and theatergoers expecting holiday traffic got that and much more yesterday afternoon when a car fire in the Queens Midtown Tunnel turned the Manhattan-bound tube into a parking lot.
There were no injuries in the 12:50 p.m. incident.
Fire officials said the station wagon caught fire midway through the tunnel, forcing scores of drivers to evacuate their cars and walk back toward Queens to avoid the heavy smoke.
Fifty firefighters were sent to the scene, although only about 20 were actually needed, fire officials said.
The tunnel was closed for at least one hour, causing major traffic delays on the Long Island Expressway, with many Manhattan-bound drivers instructed to make a U-turn at the toll plaza.