SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Fire Department responded to a fire underneath the Bay Bridge on Tuesday, March 6 at around 2:45 p.m. The California Highway Patrol posted a picture on Twitter at 2:44 p.m. showing smoke billowing just west of Treasure Island. As firefighters worked to douse the flames, they enlisted the help of a fire boat to attack from below. The fire boat continuously sprayed water on the underside of the bridge until flames dissipated.
At 2:50 p.m. a Sigalert was issued to notify motorists that lanes four and five of I-80 were closed. Motorists traveling in both directions of the bridge saw traffic become congested as a result of the fire, as officials battled to extinguish the fire.
The SFFD tweeted: “A SMALL DEBREE FIRE OCCURED ON THE BAY BRIDGE EASTBOUND 1/4 MILE WEST OF YBI GENERATING SMOKE. FIREBOAT3 EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE LOCATED UNDER THE EASTBOUND SPAN. FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION. A UNRELATED VEHCILE COLLISIN OCCURRED IN THE SAME LOCATION PRIOR TO THE FIRE 1509hrs.”
Firefighters were able to contain the fire and officials noted via social media the fire was extinguished by 2:54 p.m. The California Highway Patrol indicated that lanes four and five of the Bay Bridge would remain closed due traffic due to the continued presence of first responders on the scene.
Emergency responders were on the I-80 freeway before the fire commenced because of a multi-car collision. The crash blocked the I-80 eastbound exit from Treasure Island. Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. The California Department of Transportation reported that there was debris created by the fire that was a bird’s nest. The bird’s nest was used to keep fowl from roosting.
