By Jorge Calvillo (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: May 06, 2014 09:33 PM EDT
Tags California, Highway 15 Fire, US

Highway 15 in Hesperia, will continue to be closed for at least two days after a bridge collapsed on Monday, which caused the highway to be closed in both directions.

According to The Associated Press, the incident happened on the afternoon of Monday, May 5th, when a fire was reported on an overpass which is currently being built on the bridge on highway 15.

Workers attempted to suffocate the flames; however, their efforts were fruitless and most of the bridge was consumed by fire.  The highway was closed at 1:30 p.m. local time, due to the fall of rubble.

According to the ABC, the fire started when a worker accidentally set the bridge's wooden supports on fire while working with a blowtorch, reported fire department Captain Josh Wilkins.

Five fire trucks were present to fight the flames on the bridge on the main route between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which will be closed until further notice. The California Highway Patrol told drivers to use alternative routes such as California Highways 138 and 18, at least until cleaning teams remove the rubble left by the fire on Monday, according to Los Angeles Times. The incident caused a traffic jam which extended 20 miles, which caused dozens of drivers to spend many hours stuck on the highway. The NBC highlighted that the bridge was a part of a $27 million dollar project which had been under construction for a year and a half, and it was estimated that it would be ready by next summer.

 ABC US News | ABC Business News

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