The Red Bridge in Kamloops, B.C., was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
Witnesses said they were woken by the sound of the fire at the 88-year-old wooden road bridge, which spanned the South Thompson River.
Nearby resident Nevada Woods said she heard what sounded like a tree falling down at about 3:30 a.m. PT.
“I looked out my window and I could see two smoke plumes,” Woods said. “You could see a little bit of an orange hue.”
Woods says she walked to a nearby campground less than a kilometre from the bridge and saw the fire growing larger. Then, she said, the bridge fell into the river with a big crash.
“It collapsed entirely into the river,” she said. “All the wood fell into the river, still on fire. There was a big splash, and a big flame.”
DriveBC said in a notice Thursday morning the bridge was closed due to a fire, and asked drivers to detour around Highway 5.
The Red Bridge in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kamloops?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Kamloops</a> is on fire again 2 days after a small fire forced the temporary closure of the same crossing.<br><br>This morning, parts of the bridge are falling into the river as firefighters tackle it from underneath.<br><br>Witnesses say it started around 3am. <a href=”https://t.co/Dg1jrVlxga”>https://t.co/Dg1jrVlxga</a> <a href=”https://t.co/leSDLxUkZj”>pic.twitter.com/leSDLxUkZj</a>
—@MBernardoNews
The City of Kamloops said the fire was causing a risk of falling and floating debris.
It asked residents to stay away from the Thompson rivers west of the bridge, and had closed Pioneer Park, the Riverside Park pier, and part of Rivers Trail between the two parks. It also closed all city boat launches.
Earlier this week, a small fire on the bridge forced a temporary closure.
Capt. Norm Little with Kamloops Fire Rescue said the cause of the fire is under investigation.