1 killed in three-vehicle fiery Brooklyn Bridge crash

Associated Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Brooklyn Bridge shuts down after cars catch fire : Smoke fills the sky after multiple vehicles caught fire on the Brooklyn Bridge causing it to shut down.

NEW YORK – An auto wreck on the Brooklyn Bridge killed one person Wednesday and sparked a fire that engulfed three vehicles and cut off a key New York City artery at the start of the morning commuting rush on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

The fiery 7 a.m. crash on the Brooklyn-bound side of the bridge sent a column of black smoke rising above the landmark span. Motorists blocked by the wreck got out their cars to watch a swarm of firefighters work to extinguish the blaze.

Fire officials said six people were injured in addition to the person killed.

The entire bridge was closed to traffic for about an hour. Major traffic tie-ups continued to spill onto surrounding roads as it was reopened, beginning with the Manhattan-bound lanes.

Photographs posted by bystanders on social media showed the charred hulks of three vehicles and a fourth a few strides away with body damage.

The wreck happened on a portion of the bridge over land on the Brooklyn side of the East River, near where drivers turn on to exit ramps and surface roads. The fire was a few feet from a spot where throngs of tourists enter the bridge’s pedestrian and cycling path.