VIDEO: A vital bridge in La Paz County collapsed Friday after a fast-moving fire tore through the area, cutting off a key route for the community of Cibola. Residents now face longer travel times with no immediate replacement in place. Officials say it could be a while before the bridge is rebuilt. Residents and visitors to the Oxbow Wildlife Refuge or Cibola National Wildlife Refuge will need to use the River Bridge Road crossing, located about four miles northeast of the destroyed Oxbow Bridge.
The Oxbow Bridge connected the rural community of Cibola to California and served as a shortcut to the city of Yuma. Officials say the fire started on the Arizona side, though the exact cause remains under investigation. Fire crews contained the blaze before it spread beyond the immediate area, but not before the wooden bridge was fully engulfed.
Cellphone video captured by Carissa Rosenfeld and her husband shows the bridge covered in flames. She says the railings began to fall within the first hour, and minutes later, the center of the bridge collapsed into the Colorado River. โAt that time, we called 911 and just made sure nobody could cross the bridge in case they werenโt paying attention,โ Rosenfeld said.
