Eastbound traffic across the Bay Bridge ground to a halt for a couple hours late Saturday afternoon as emergency crews battled a wildfire on Yerba Buena Island.
By 5 p.m., nearly two hours after the fire prompted the entire lower deck of the bridge to close, Caltrans reopened three of the five eastbound lanes, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson confirmed to The Standard.
Still, traffic was expected to be slow-going for hours to come.
“Anybody that needs to go across the bridge should wait or seek alternate routes,” San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Justin Schorr advised.
Fireboat 3 attacks the hillside from below as crews above continue to attack this fire in high winds. pic.twitter.com/EsLqC4Y8ue
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) May 18, 2024
Crews responded to the fire shortly after 3 p.m., he said, and were engaged in “an aggressive firefight” that lasted more than a couple hours.
“We’ve got about 40 firefighters on the island attempting to reach this fire in steep terrain and high winds,” he said around 3:40 p.m.
Fire boats from both San Francisco and Alameda County were also dispatched to the scene, Schorr added.
Firefighters are encountering heavy smoke and steep terrain. pic.twitter.com/RJJ6JvzHlg
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) May 18, 2024
The lower deck of the bridge remained closed until firefighters determined that the blaze wasn’t threatening any structures, according to Schorr.
“If it makes it over the hill, it could threaten historic Coast Guard buildings,” he said before 4 p.m. “But we’re not going to let that happen.”
Drivers can find the latest traffic updates at 511.org.