A section of Buford Highway was closed for several hours after a large fire broke out beneath a bridge in Fulton County late Sunday morning, officials said.
The brush fire, reported at around 11 a.m., caused the northbound and southbound lanes of the highway to be shut down past Lenox Road, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Photos showed a thick plume of smoke rising across the highway from below.
Brookhaven police said the bridge was closed while its structural integrity was being inspected. Traffic started to flow after an all-clear was given by GDOT at 3 p.m., police said.
Crews responded to the Buford Highway Connector and Lenox Road that morning and found heavy smoke coming from underneath the bridge near a homeless encampment, Atlanta fire spokeswoman Alyssa Richardson said. She said an additional engine was requested to extinguish the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Officers responded to the area to assist and keep motorists safe on the highway, a police spokesperson said.
Richardson said GDOT examined the integrity of the bridge, though the findings have not been publicly released.
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