I-15 Bridge Collapse After Wooden Supports Caught Fire (VIDEO)

I-15 Bridge Collapse. Miles-long delays are expected to continue on the 15 Freeway in Hesperia Tuesday after an overpass bridge collapsed.

The bridges wooden supports caught fire Monday shutting a portion of the freeway and stopping traffic for hours Monday.

Both directions of the 15 Freeway near Ranchero Road are closed due to the fire that sent debris falling on the freeway below. A large middle portion of the bridge completely collapsed early Tuesday morning as fire continued to burn parts of the bridge that firefighters cannot access.

Northbound lanes should reopen by 4 p.m. Tuesday and southbound lanes should reopen Wednesday, officials said during press conference early Tuesday morning.

Traffic was backed up approximately 20 miles Monday and many drivers reported spending hours in gridlock.

“It’s so bad that we actually had to put a movie on to entertain ourselves,” driver Lena Razzo said Monday night.

The under-construction Ranchero Bridge in Hesperia caught fire around 1:30 p.m. Monday and continued to burn more than 16 hours later. The mddle portion of the bridge completely collapsed just after 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Both directions of the 15 Freeway near Ranchero Road were shut down Monday due to the fire that sent debris falling onto the highway below, fire officials said.

“Collapse was pretty scary, we actually had a firefighter standing on the ledge and the footing came from underneath him and he actually had to dive for his safety,” San Bernardino Co. Fire Capt. Al Franco said of the Monday partial bridge collapse.

Workers continued to tear down the bridge early Tuesday while letting the fire burn out.

Traffic was being diverted to the north and south using on and off ramps near the Ranchero Road Bridge.

The fire was accidentally started by a construction worker’s blowtorch. Worker’s tried to put it out, but it quickly spread. Investigators said that high winds hampered firefighters’ efforts to stop the flames.

“We had to run out there pretty quick. And all that rebar on the ground, made it hard to get out of there,” one construction workers said.

The bridge was part of a $27 million underpass project. It had been under construction for about a year and a half, and was supposed to be complete next summer.

Hesperia’s City Manager said Monday’s fire is sad news for nearby residents who had lobbied hard for the bridge.

“And the sad part here is that (workers) were way ahead of schedule,” City Manager Mike Podegracz said.

The freeway is Southern California’s main connector to Las Vegas.

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Source: NBC4