Fatal crash sparks fire on major Connecticut highway bridge

A crash involving a fuel truck and a car has sparked a fire on a major Connecticut highway bridge

A crash involving a fuel truck and a car sparked a fire on a major Connecticut highway bridge Friday, with flames spreading to buildings below and officials closing Interstate 95 in both directions during the blaze. Officials said the truck driver died and other people were injured.

The wreck happened shortly after 11 a.m. on the southbound side of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge carrying the highway over the Thames River between New London and Groton. The Gold Star actually comprises two bridges, one for southbound traffic and the other for northbound. The northbound side has since reopened.

Videos from the scene showed flames burning and smoke rising from a lengthy section of the bridge and spreading to a construction and marine company below on the Groton side.

New London's mayor and fire chief told news outlets that the truck driver died in the crash and other people were taken to a hospital with unknown injuries. The state Department of Transportation confirmed there was a fatality.

The crash caused a major traffic backup and threatened long-term disruptions on that stretch of Interstate 95, the main north-south artery on the East Coast.

Kafi Rouse, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, said engineers were waiting for an all-clear from emergency crews to begin inspecting damage to the bridge.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

The Gold Star Memorial Bridge, Connecticut’s largest passenger and truck bridge at 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) in length, has been undergoing a major overhaul. In January, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited New London to announce that $158 million from a new federal infrastructure law was being awarded to accelerate repairs on the northbound span.

Seth Bottone, 48, was leaving work to head home from Groton as he does every day, when he saw the smoke and flames engulfing the bridge. Bottone snapped a video of the flames and was audibly in shock.

“I saw the smoke from a distance, thought it was something from underneath,” he said. “As I got closer, I was like, ‘oh my goodness.’”

Bottone said police then directed traffic to turn around and head northbound.

Angelique Feliciano, 40, had accidentally taken a wrong turn and ended up on the bridge as the fire trucks arrived. Feliciano said she has seen numerous accidents in Groton but nothing like the incident Friday.

“The highway looked like it was on fire itself,” she said. “It was scary. I wanted to get off the bridge as soon as possible.”

The U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London is a short distance north of the bridge, and the submarines stationed there have to travel under the Gold Star to reach the ocean.

Nina Basantes, a spokeswoman for the Navy, said the fire was not impacting operations at the submarine base. The Navy sent three fire trucks and a team of firefighters to the site to help with mutual aid.