Vehicle fire on Howard Frankland Bridge causes traffic backups on I-275
A vehicle caught fire on the northbound side of the Howard Frankland Bridge in Pinellas County on Thursday afternoon, blocking multiple lanes of traffic on Interstate 275.
The Florida Department of Transportation’s FL511 Tampa Bay said it happened in the area of mile marker 34 and classified it as a “major” incident. The three right lanes were blocked for more than an hour, but by around 1 p.m. all lanes were reopened.
Sgt. Steve Gaskins, a spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol, said no one was injured in the fire, which he said was caused by a mechanical issue.
Traffic camera footage showed the smoking vehicle and fire engines on the side of the bridge.
This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.
