Fire shuts down I-471's Daniel Carter Beard Bridge until further notice

All lanes of I-471 are closed after a fire broke out in Sawyer Point Park and spread to the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, damaging it early Friday morning.

Matt Bruning, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said during a Nov. 1 press conference that the bridge suffered "significant damage on the Ohio approach."

Bruning said inspectors have not completed their evaluation of the bridge, but their preliminary observations revealed the northbound side of the highway suffered much less damage than the southbound side.

The goal, Bruning said, is currently to inspect the northbound side first in the hopes it will be able to re-open sooner, but the southbound side will remain closed for an indeterminate amount of time.

On the southbound side, at least three steel beams need replacing, then a new bridge deck will need to be poured and a sign truss that was damaged will need replacing, Bruning said.

Bruning said he couldn't give a timeline for when those repairs would be completed, "but it will not be days."

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Flagler said at around 3:30 a.m. fire crews were dispatched to multiple locations, both on and below the I-471 bridge. Some 911 calls came in reporting a car fire, other reports said an outdoor fire, Flagler said.

Flagler said they do not know what started the fire and it remains under investigation.