Breaking: TRAFFIC ALERT: Tractor-trailer crash blocks I-20 East leaving Atlanta
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 crash involving a tractor-trailer blocks the eastbound lanes on I-20 just outside Atlanta on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Georgia Department of Transportation)

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

TRAFFIC ALERT: Tractor-trailer crash blocks I-20 East entering Atlanta

3m ago

City Council proposes oversight commission for Dickens’ $5 billion plan

Panel would begin work in January and issue recommendations ahead of a council vote on extending the city’s tax allocation districts by 30 years.

1h ago

Woman dies after being shot in head outside Loganville CVS, police say

Store temporarily closed during police investigation, officials say.

The Latest

A crash involving a tractor-trailer blocks the eastbound lanes on I-20 just outside Atlanta on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Georgia Department of Transportation)

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

TRAFFIC ALERT: Tractor-trailer crash blocks I-20 East leaving Atlanta

3m ago

City Council proposes oversight commission for Dickens’ $5 billion plan

1h ago

Woman dies after being shot in head outside Loganville CVS, police say

Featured

Prosecutor Skandalakis has previously suggested that pursuing criminal charges against President Donald Trump may not be feasible until after he leaves office in 2029. (Craig Hudson/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Prosecutor takes helm of Georgia case against Trump. But will he move forward?

A veteran Georgia prosecutor will decide the fate of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against Donald Trump and his allies.

With some solar power tax breaks expiring, Georgians rush to catch the sun

Georgia solar installers say they’re seeing a surge of customers trying to install rooftop solar systems before federal tax credits go away at the end of the year.

‘Automatic for the People’: Weaver D’s still bonds Athens as era nears end

After feeding everyone from R.E.M. to Brian Kemp, and coining a phrase that went global, Dexter Weaver is preparing to close his storied Athens soul food restaurant.