A major fire at a vacant industrial building in Cleveland caused significant disruption to Tuesday morning traffic after authorities closed part of a nearby interstate over safety concerns. The blaze broke out shortly before 04:30 local time along Independence Road, prompting a large response from the Cleveland Division of Fire and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Officials shut down eastbound lanes of Interstate 490 and several connecting ramps for several hours as inspectors assessed the impact of the fire on a nearby bridge. The affected section of the highway reopened shortly after midday.
ODOT spokesperson Brent Kovacs said the building was located close to, but not directly beneath, the bridge. “Some of the heat and the fumes and the smoke were blowing up onto the 490 eastbound bridge,” he said.
Television footage showed smoke drifting across the interstate, creating difficult driving conditions. Kovacs said he was not aware of any crashes linked to the incident.
Authorities said the road closures were implemented as a precaution ahead of the morning rush hour. “Right before the AM rush hour, just to make sure that the blaze is contained properly and that the bridge is in safe condition,” Kovacs said.
Firefighters continued tackling hotspots throughout the morning while bridge inspectors examined the structure for possible damage. “Initial assessments say that the bridge is in fine shape,” Kovacs said. “It just has some aesthetic issues to it. It has some soot, some smoke stains on it.”
He added that the road would remain closed until the fire had been fully extinguished.
The Cleveland Division of Fire said the building had been vacant for some time and utilities to the property had long been inactive. An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.
Kovacs said inspections were necessary because intense heat can weaken steel structures. “Anytime there’s a fire near a bridge, we have to take it seriously, because steel is sensitive to high levels of heat, and it will ruin the structural integrity of the steel,” he said.
He added that inspectors had completed a full assessment and determined the bridge remained safe for use.