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Tag: bridge collapse

  • Interstate 15 Bridge Catches Fire And Collapses

    Interstate 15 in Hesperia is closed after a bridge collapsed due to a fire.

    The fire was accidentally set by a construction worker who was working on the bridge.

    The construction worker was using a blowtorch when he accidentally ignited the wooden supports of the Ranchero Road overpass bridge.

    Local fire departments responded to the fire and worked to extinguish it.

    The fire was not an easy one to fight and the firefighters had limited access to water and struggled with containing the fire to a small area so it did not spread to the entire wooden bridge.

    The fire and collapse resulted in traffic being backed up for more than 6 miles.

    One worker suffered smoke inhalation as a result of the fire but no one else injured.

    Several of the workers were still working when the fire broke out and were unaware of it. They were all evacuated before the bridge collapsed.

    Several people witnessed the incident.

    Others applauded the efforts of the rescue workers and police who helped close down the road and make sure everyone around it was safe.

    The bridge had been under construction since 2013 and crews are not sure how long it will take to repair and rebuild it.

    “The Cajon Pass is going to be a nightmare for the next 24 to 48 hours at least,” San Bernardino County Fire Capt. Josh Wilkins said. “So if at all possible, avoid it altogether, because there is just no way they’re going to open it any time soon.”

    Drivers can use alternate routes including interstates 138 and 18 to get around the closed interstate and the bridge.

    The fire and bridge collapse were caught on tape.

    Image via News Inc

  • I-15 Bridge Collapse: Bridge Closed Due To Fire

    Who would have thought one construction worker’s careless mistake could lead to a bridge collapse and major traffic jams?

    On Monday a fire was ignited on Interstate 15 in Hesperia, Calif. by one of the workers at a bridge construction site.

    The worker’s blowtorch somehow managed to set the wooden supports of the Ranchero Road overpass bridge on fire.

    The Caltrans contractors were so into their work that no one was even aware that anything was wrong.

    It was not until firefighters had them evacuate for their own safety that workers were even aware of the fire.

    None of the contractors reported any injuries though one person reportedly suffered from smoke inhalation symptoms.

    Dozens of firefighters attacked the blaze, but windy conditions and little access to water made containing the fire very difficult.

    The fire was eventually brought under control by Monday evening, aside from some smoldering.

    The fire and resulting bridge collapse led to authorities closing the freeway. The falling debris made it unsafe for traffic.

    The bridge closure resulted in traffic being backed up for six miles to the south and nearly twenty miles to the north of the scene of the collapse.

    Officials expect traffic problems to continue through Wednesday.

    “The Cajon Pass is going to be a nightmare for the next 24 to 48 hours,” warned San Bernardino County Fire Capt. Josh Wilkins. He hinted that the problem could stretch beyond the next couple of days.

    “If at all possible, avoid [the pass] altogether…because there is just no way they’re going to open it any time soon.”


    Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga strongly suggests those impacted by the bridge collapse use alternate routes such as interstates 138 and 18.

    It’s terrible luck that this happened at Southern California’s main connector to Las Vegas.

    The bridge has been reportedly under construction since early 2013. There’s no telling how much of a setback this fire will be to the ongoing project.

    Image via YouTube

  • India Stampede: Controversy Over Cause Lingers

    Reports continue to roll out, updating available information on the Sunday stampede in India that killed at least 115 people. According to an AFP journalist, recovery operations to locate bodies have finished and police investigators are now examining the location of the tragedy.

    The incident was sparked at the end of the Hindu Navaratri Festival when pilgrims started across a bridge over the Sindh river, leaving the festival, and a rumor that the bridge was going to collapse prompted a stampede. At the time of the stampede, an estimated 20,000 people were on the bridge. Authorities say up to 400,000 worshipers were near the temple as the stampede started.

    The site, in the town of Ratangarh in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, apparently witnessed another stampede seven years ago in which 50 were killed.

    Medical professionals are said to be working on ten more casualties, classified as critically ill at last report.

    Eyewitness accounts describe the chaos. Manoj Sharma, a survivor, reported to the Times of India, “People were jumping off the bridge to save themselves, but they could not swim against the tide. I also saw children being tossed from the bridge, only to be washed away.” Mothers were reported as jettisoning their children into the river in an attempt to save them from being trampled.

    The actual cause of the stampede is part of the controversy, as some report that rather than rumors of a collapsing bridge, the stampede was prompted when people tried to cut in line as police wielded batons to subdue them. An additional possible catalyst, police forcing people out of the path of a political leader, is prompting calls for resignations and causing nerves among elected officials ahead of upcoming elections.

    “There were safety measures in place, this is an annual event,” reported the state’s home minister, Uma Shankar Gupta. “We don’t yet have information on how this happened, as our focus is on the rescue effort.”

    [Image via YouTube.]

  • India Stampede: 115 Killed During Festival

    India Stampede: 115 Killed During Festival

    India faces a day of mourning after 115 people–mostly women and children, according to one report–were killed on a bridge while leaving the Navaratra festival. Officials say an investigation is warranted, but the cause of the stampede appears to be a rumor that the bridge was about to collapse.

    “I grabbed my son and ran,” Uma Devi told Indian TV. “People were pushing and screaming and trying to run away from the bridge. I don’t know how I escaped.”

    Several people were crushed to death, while others jumped or were thrown to their deaths in the waters below. The festival was held in Ratangarh in Madhya Pradesh state and was in honor of the Hindu mother goddess Durga. Some 500,000 people made the pilgrimage to the temple over the course of the 10-day festival; it’s estimated that around 20,000 were on the bridge at the time of the stampede.

    “The death toll has now gone up to 115 and more than 110 injured,” deputy police inspector general D. K. Arya said. “Ten of those are in a very critical state.”

    Local police are coming under fire this week following reports that they charged into the crowd with batons, aggravating the situation. Arya denies those reports, however, saying the police were no match for the throng on the bridge.

    “One would be stupid to use lathis on a crowd which was 25,000 strong,” he said.

    The prime minister’s office issued a statement on the tragedy, saying, “On this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families.”

    Image: Thinkstock