Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

I-85 bridge driver: ‘I felt the fire touching me through my window.’

This was Carmen Dixon's view of the I-85 bridge fire from her car.

Credit: Carmen Dixon

Credit: Carmen Dixon

This was Carmen Dixon's view of the I-85 bridge fire from her car.
By Ben Brasch
March 31, 2017

Carmen Dixon screamed as the heat attacked her car. Flames shot skyward a few feet away as she drove past.

She was leaving her North Druid Hills job processing medical records heading toward her Riverdale home along I-85 when she noticed the first sign of trouble about 6:20 p.m.

“I saw a black mass of smoke,” said the 21-year-old Georgia State student.

Deal declares state of emergency after I-85 bridge collapse

Dixon trudged through traffic closer to the source of the smoke – and the flames.

“I felt the fire touching me through my window,” she said. “I heard a snap or a crackle noise … I saw the flames rising.”

As the car heated up, her 2-year-old Maltipoo named Diego started to freak out.

What to know right now about the fiery I-85 bridge collapse

A video she provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows how close she was to the fire. She yelps while speeding past the flames.

As for Diego: “He was just ready to go home.”

Clear of the fire, she called her brother, an East Point firefighter. He told her to get out of there. She was happy to say she already had.

This was Carmen Dixon's view of the I-85 bridge fire from her car.

About the Author

Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.

Follow Ben Brasch on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

The woman, who was not publicly identified, died at a hospital after the medical emergency on the lake, officials said. (Courtesy of Georgia DNR)

Credit: Georgia DNR

Woman, 60, drowns in Lake Allatoona after medical emergency

The woman was found face down in the water and recovered by family members before being taken to a hospital, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesperson confirmed.

1 dead, 1 critical after shooting at Atlanta park, police say

Atlanta police are investigating a fatal shooting at Coan Park just north of Memorial Drive in the Kirkwood neighborhood

2nd man dies after weekend shooting at Atlanta park, police say

A weekend shooting at an Atlanta park claims two lives.

The Latest

The woman, who was not publicly identified, died at a hospital after the medical emergency on the lake, officials said. (Courtesy of Georgia DNR)

Credit: Georgia DNR

Woman, 60, drowns in Lake Allatoona after medical emergency

18-year-old shot, killed at troubled SW Atlanta apartment complex

Teen arrested in 16-year-old’s fatal shooting outside Brookhaven McDonald’s

Featured

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Credit: AP

Senate GOP passes budget bill Democrats describe as ‘a catastrophe’

Republicans in the U.S. Senate have passed the “big, beautiful bill” championed by President Donald Trump, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote.

State Farm Arena top 5 globally in box office — behind only Sphere, MSG in U.S.

State Farm Arena brought in about $76.2 million across 60 events.

At a store that never closes, an armed comedian keeps the midnight watch

At JJ Food Mart on the west side of Atlanta, an armed comedian keeps the midnight watch. If you misbehave, Connell Daniels Jr. might put you on Instagram.