Massive fire shuts down Daniel Carter Beard Bridge near Cincinnati

Nov 02, 2024

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A massive fire underneath a bridge spanning the Ohio River closed a heavily traveled route between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky on Friday and damaged part of the steel structure. No injuries were reported.

Video above shows moments massive fire breaks out, spreads to Daniel Carter Beard Bridge

The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge will be shut down indefinitely in both directions as officials investigate the cause of the fire.

The bridge, also known as the "Big Mac" bridge, is a major thoroughfare connecting Ohio and Kentucky.

Here's what to know:

Crews were dispatched around 3:30 a.m. Friday for a report of a fire.

The fire was put out, but crews remained on the scene Friday to monitor any possible hot spots.

Investigators say plastic and various materials that were part of the playground were fueling the fire.

The Cincinnati Fire Unit and Cincinnati Police Department are working to determine the cause of the fire and the point of origin.

When asked if they ruled out the fire being suspicious, Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley said, "We haven't ruled anything out."

Matthew Flagler with the Cincinnati Fire Department said no injuries were reported.

The bridge will be closed until further notice as officials inspect the structure and make needed repairs.

Matt Bruning with the Ohio Department of Transportation said they will inspect the northbound side first, and since there is less damage there, it could open sooner than the southbound side.

The southbound side has more "significant damage," and Bruning said there are at least three steel beams that suffered damage and need to be replaced and with that, a portion of the bridge deck. A sign truss on the bridge also sustained damage and will need to be replaced.

"To give you a timeline right now is just impossible," Bruning said.

Bruning said it's hard to estimate how much it will cost as they're still working to assess the damage, but says it could likely be in the millions of dollars.

Viewer video sent to sister station WLWT shows the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge up in flames before crews were able to put out the fire.

"You can hear the popping," one viewer said in a video sent to WLWT.

Another from a higher vantage point shows just how much of the bridge caught fire Friday morning.