I-70 westbound remains closed after fatal fire Thursday, victim not yet identified
By KMBC Staff
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — All westbound lanes of I-70 on the Missouri side of the state line remain closed at the Benton Curve after a serious fire under the bridge in the area Thursday.
That fire at a homeless camp under a bridge over I-70 claimed the life of one individual. That person has yet to be identified.
Engineers are concerned the bridge sustained structural damage during that fire. An inspection has been scheduled for Friday to assess the bridge’s stability.
All inbound lanes of I-70 have been closed before 23rd Street, and traffic is being rerouted by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“I mean this is a tragic, tragic event,” said Jason Spreitzer with the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department. He says it was a difficult scene for responders to get to.
“The challenges that you have is that it’s under a bridge and there’s no access points for pumpers to be able to have a way to be able to stretch the line quickly to be able to navigate up a hill to be able to put this fire out,” said Spreitzer.
The fire under the bridge caused concern for the cars that drive over it. MoDOT crews were at the scene to see how the intense heat may have compromised the structure’s safety.
“Extreme heat can cause damage to bridge girders to bridge abutments and various components of the bridge so we’ll be looking at all those,” said MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Matt Killion.
It’s a thorough process to make sure the bridge is secure. “They’ll be assessing any damage to structural members and looking at the critical components of the bridge to make sure that it’s safe to travel on,” Killion said.
For road condition updates, you can check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at modot.org.
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