Image credit: Aaron Schulze/CFJC Today

By Aaron Schulze

Red Bridge Destroyed

Red Bridge destroyed by fire

Sep 19, 2024 | 6:20 AM

UPDATE (9:45 a.m.): Kamloops’ drinking water has not been impacted following the Red Bridge fire.

In a post to social media, the City of Kamloops says its water intake is upstream from the Red Bridge and is pulling water before it reaches the debris.

The City says staff are continuing to monitor water quality, and encourages residents to stay up to date using the Voyent Alert app.

UPDATE (9:00 a.m.): The City of Kamloops states most councillors are attending the Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference this week in Vancouver and are trying to arrange an emergency meeting with B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming.

“This is a tremendously sad day for Kamloops and those who loved the Red Bridge,” Kamloops Deputy Mayor Stephen Karpuk states. “The impact will be felt immediately, both emotionally and physically. We ask for patience and calm as we process the events and determine the path forward.”

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In an email to CFJC Today, B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy says there’s no impact on particulate matter at the air quality station.

Additionally, an environmental emergency response officer is attending to monitor the situation.

Meantime, Kamloops RCMP officers remain on scene at the Red Bridge.

“We are treating the incident as suspicious and note that this is the second fire to occur at the bridge in as many days,” Supt. Jeff Pelley says. “We are and will continue to work closely with our fire investigators and KFR partners to establish how the fire began and if criminality was involved. We’re asking residents who may have been in the area at the time to please reach out to police if they saw anything suspicious, and to please check their security and dash camera footage to see if anything was captured that could be related to this incident.”

Residents are still asked to avoid the area as firefighters continue to battle the fire and burning debris. Traffic delays in and around the area are expected.

Anyone who witnessed, or has video,or information related to either of this week’s fires at the Red Bridge is asked to please contact the Kamloops RCMP Detachment at 250-828-3000 and reference file 2024-31206.

UPDATE (8:00 a.m.): Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson called the scene at the Red Bridge terrible but the City of Kamloops will need to quickly move on.

“It’s done and we can’t do anything about it,” Hamer-Jackson told CFJC Today. “Hopefully we get moving and get something bigger and better. The bridge wasn’t in that great of shape on the top of it. It was like driving down a logging road.”

Hamer-Jackson mentioned the City and Tk’emlups te Secwepemc had been lobbying B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to get improvements done on the Red Bridge. He says he’d be calling Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir shortly after.

UPDATE (7:00 a.m.): The City of Kamloops is asking residents to stay out of the South Thompson and Thompson River waters at and west of the Red Bridge, and to stay away from the rivers’ edge.

Additionally, Pioneer Park, the Rivers Trail between Pioneer and Riverside Park, the Riverside Pier and all City boat launches — including Pioneer Park, Valleyview, and McArthur Island Park — are closed until further notice.

The first bridge at Pioneer Park location was built in 1887. However, this particular Red Bridge structure had stood for 88 years after being completed in 1936

EARLIER: KAMLOOPS — The Red Bridge in Kamloops has been destroyed by fire.

Kamloops Fire Rescue Captain Norm Little says the call came in at 3:10 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 18) and the roadway has since collapsed into the South Thompson River.

There’s no suspected cause for the fire yet, and crews expect to be on site for hours.

Drivers are asked to stay away from both sides of the bridge as crews work.

“Obviously, the Red Bridge isn’t going to be available for use. So allow yourself a little extra time because there’s going to be more traffic on the other bridge crossings,” Little told CFJC Today.

Bernice Jensen uses the Red Bridge daily to get to work and do her family’s shopping. She told CFJC Today the scene unfolding in front of her made her emotional.

“I think a lot of people from the reserve side are going to really need to have a bridge,” Jensen says. “Even without the bridge yesterday, it was a big impact on the travelling back and forth to downtown or going to North Kamloops. I’m just looking at it burn, and it hurts the heart.”

The fully engulfed flames come two days after the Red Bridge was temporarily closed due to a fire involving its southern support beams.

This is a developing story, and more information will be provided once it’s available.