On Thursday evening an elevated section of northbound I85 collapsed after a massive fire in Atlanta. The fire broke out near the Buford-Spring Connector around 6:30 p.m. and the road gave way around 7 p.m.
State of emergency declared
A state of emergency has been declared after a portion of interstate 85 collapsed. The flames were as high as 40 feet. It took more than one hour for the fire department to put the fire under control. While the fire was contained Thursday night, damages to the interstate will remain a problem for commuters for coming months.
The collapse of the bridge has caused the problem to around 250,000 drivers a day, according to Georgia Department of Transportation.
I-85 is the major artery that runs through the heart of Atlanta. The collapse has disturbed the life of daily commuters. In an update, it has been reported that the repair of the bridge will take several months.
Cause of the fire
As per the reports, the fire has been caused by flames that ignited in the area where state stores construction material and supplies. The damage is not limited to just the northbound side of I-85 but the southbound sections of the highway were also damaged due to the outbreak of fire. Luckily a fire station was near the site where the fire broke out and firefighters fought bravely controlling the fire and without any loss of lives.
According to CNN news initially, people were driving underway and ignoring what was happening and clicking pictures. It was the fire department who stopped the vehicles from coming that way and controlled the situation.
"We're trying to find a way to get those people off the interstate," said Capt. Mark Perry of the Georgia State Patrol reporting to Wsbtv.
GDOT is working on its way to find the cause of the fire and to determine the damage this fire has caused.
The govt. has declared a full state of emergency and drivers have been told to avoid that route. According to Wsbtv several roads in northeast Atlanta along with northbound and southbound lanes of I-85 have been closed for hours.
