PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The South Norfolk Jordan Bridge remains closed to thru traffic after a conveyor belt at the Wheelabrator waste facility in Portsmouth caught on fire late Friday morning, causing significant damage to the building.
According to a post on their website and on Twitter, the bridge remains closed except for very limited usage while they are "awaiting the determination of the structural condition being conducted by Wheelabrator (WIN Waste Innovations) and the City of Portsmouth."
Crews with the Portsmouth Fire Rescue and Emergency Service, Chesapeake Fire Department and Navy Region Fire Services responded to the facility, located on Elm Avenue, around 11:50 a.m.
An employee had reported that the conveyer belt was on fire. All employees left the building safely.
After arriving, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the rear of the building, the roof area and the structure housing the conveyor belt.
Firefighters started putting the fire out by strategically positioning several of their ladder trucks. They got inside and battled the fire on the building's topmost floor.
Firefighters eventually contained the fire to where it started and it was considered under control shortly after 1:45 p.m.
No one was hurt, but the fire did force the nearby South Norfolk Jordan Bridge to shut down. As of Saturday morning, the bridge remains closed with no ETA on when it might reopen.