Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

The I-85 bridge collapse started with this fire

This is the fire that began the blaze which brought down a bridge on I-85.

Credit: WSB viewer

Credit: WSB viewer

This is the fire that began the blaze which brought down a bridge on I-85.
By Kyle Nazario
March 31, 2017

We don't know exactly what caused the fire which brought down a bridge on I-85 near Ga. 400 and brought traffic to a screeching halt. It wasn't terrorism, but it could have been PVC.

However, a viewer of WSB-TV tweeted this photo at the news station of the fire in its infancy. It shows the smallest amount of flames and smoke of any picture of the disaster we've seen so far, making it the earliest record we can find of the fire.

What was underneath the bridge during the I-85 collapse?

Thankfully, as of 11 p.m. Thursday there were not reports of anyone being hurt in the fire or the subsequent bridge collapse. We're rounded up everything you need to know about the I-85 collapse.

About the Author

Kyle Nazario
More Stories

Keep Reading

A MARTA train passes by an area of Murphy Crossing, near the Beltline's Westside Trail, in April 2024. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin / AJC

How will new MARTA train stations be funded? More questions than answers.

Atlanta announced the intention of building four new MARTA hubs, but a recent project estimate shows all four come with a price tag of more than $1.3 billion combined.

Death row prisoner’s execution delayed in row over clemency board conflict

Wednesday’s scheduled execution of Stacey Ian Humphreys is on hold for now after the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles abruptly canceled a clemency hearing set for Tuesday.

North Georgia fires leave at least 4 dead, displace dozens during cold weather

The Monday morning incident is among a string of recent metro Atlanta fires that have left one person dead and three others hospitalized, officials say.

The Latest

A MARTA train passes by an area of Murphy Crossing, near the Beltline's Westside Trail, in April 2024. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin / AJC

How will new MARTA train stations be funded? More questions than answers.

North Georgia fires leave at least 4 dead, displace dozens during cold weather

North Atlanta High student arrested after scissors attack, district says

Featured

A migrant farmworker harvests Vidalia onions at a farm in Collins, in 2011. A coalition of farmworkers, including one based in Georgia, filed suit last month in federal court arguing that cuts to H-2A wages will trigger a cut in the pay and standard of living of U.S. agricultural workers. (Bita Honarvar/AJC)

Credit: Bita Honarvar

Trump administration slashes Georgia migrant farmworker H-2A wages

The state’s agriculture industry relies on the H-2A farmworker visa program. A federal lawsuit is challenging the change.

Brian Kemp’s lame-duck dilemma: Swing big or play it safe?

The two-term Georgia governor enters his last legislative session next month.

Fate of Confederate souvenir store in limbo amid legal battle over estate

The future of Wildman’s Civil War Surplus Store has long been a topic of debate in Kennesaw, especially since proprietor Dent Myers’ death nearly four years ago.