Update 2:30pm: The City of Kamloops is taking steps to try to minimize – as best it can – the traffic congestion which is going to be brought on by the loss of the Red Bridge.

Deputy Mayor for September, Councillor Stephen Karpuk, says City crews are adjusting light timing on streets leading to and from the Halston Bridge, as it is now going to be accommodating much more traffic.

“We know we’ve had some problems with traffic backing up on Highway 5 coming into town. I expect we’ll see some changes there to make sure we don’t have that. Interestingly enough, this was one of the asks that we had of [Transportation and Infrastructure] Minister Fleming earlier in the week with our meeting with him [at UBCM],” said Karpuk.

Karpuk says they also intend on pressing the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to expedite the work on the Halston Bridge.

“We need both lanes as soon as possible functioning there. Hopefully we can have them coordinating the lights on Highway 5, not only at the Halston, but at Mt. Paul and Tk’emlups,” he said.

Karpuk suggests this could be an opportunity for the City and BC Transit to increase the frequency of buses from the transit hubs to establish park-and-rides to ease traffic.

“If people are just coming downtown to work, and we can make a better frequency from the North Shore exchange, maybe this is that time and place, working some agreement with the [Northhills] Mall, park your car, ride downtown, get on that bus. If we can get fast turn around, that be a good alternative. And the same for TRU.”

Karpuk says the Red Bridge saw 7,000 to 8,000 vehicle trips over it per day.

Meanwhile, Karpuk is asking local businesses and home owners who may have video of the Red Bridge area around 3am on Thursday to provide it to the RCMP to aid in the investigation, saying they believe the fire originated in the center of the bridge.

Minister suggests restoration a possibility

BC’s Transportation Minister has issued a statement to Radio NL in connection with the loss of the Red Bridge.

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the fire and the significant damage to the historic Red Bridge in Kamloops,” said Rob Fleming in the statement.  “This was a beloved structure that was very important to people in the region.”

“We are working with other agencies on the immediate impacts resulting from the fire and to plan next steps for clean-up and restoration,” continued Fleming.  “However, once the full extent of the damage is known, we will sit down with the City of Kamloops and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc to discuss long-term plans for the bridge to make sure people can get to where they need to go.”

Update 9 a.m.:  Kamloops RCMP and the City of Kamloops have issued separate statements connected to the destruction of the Red Bridge by fire Thursday morning.

“On Thursday Sept. 19, 2024, around 3:25 a.m., Kamloops and Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP Detachment frontline officers were called to assist Kamloops Fire and Rescue at the Red Bridge, which was fully engulfed by flames,” said the RCMP in a statement.  “While fire responders battled the blaze, the bridge collapsed and was sadly completely destroyed.”

“We are treating the incident as suspicious and note that this is the second fire to occur at the bridge in as many days,” said Superintendent Jeff Pelley, the Kamloops RCMP Detachment’s Officer in Charge. “We are and will continue to work closely with our fire investigators and KFR partners to establish how the fire began and if criminality was involved. We’re asking residents who may have been in the area at the time to please reach out to police if they saw anything suspicious, and to please check their security and dash camera footage to see if anything was captured that could be related to this incident.”

Kamloops Mounties are asking the public to stay away from the area as the mop-up by Kamloops Fire Rescue continues.

At the same, a statement has been issued by the City through Kamloops city council.

“Kamloops City Council was devastated to learn of this morning’s fire and resulting loss of the historic Red Bridge. This is a huge loss for both Kamloops and our neighbours at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. We are committed to working with our neighbours to determine the best path forward for our mutual benefit,” said the statement from city council.

“This is a tremendously sad day for Kamloops and those who loved the Red Bridge,” said Deputy Mayor Stephen Karpuk. The impact will be felt immediately, both emotionally and physically. We ask for patience and calm as we process the events and determine the path forward. Our hearts and hands go out to our friends and neighbours at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc as well. Patience and reflection, kindness, and hope are the virtues we need today. We will get through this.”

The statement goes on to notes that most of the councillors are attending the Union of British Columbia Municipalities annual conference this week in Vancouver.

It says they’re attempting to garner an emergency meeting with Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming.

Meanwhile, the City of Kamloops has also issued an advisory to alert residents of several closures in effect as a result of the fire, due to the risk of floating debris.

The current closures include all City boat launches (Pioneer Park, Valleyview, and McArthur Island Park), Pioneer Park, Rivers Trail between Pioneer Park and Riverside Park, and Riverside Park pier. The city is also asking the public to please stay out of the South Thompson and Thompson Rivers at or west of the Red Bridge and to stay back from the river’s edge.

BC’s Premier has also issued a short statement via X.

We’re closely monitoring the bridge collapse in Kamloops. As the situation continues, please follow all instructions from local authorities, and stay safe. https://t.co/N3hUWBJ9Ty

— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) September 19, 2024

Original story:

Kamloops historic Red Bridge has been destroyed by fire.

The blaze broke out at around 3am Thursday morning.

It appears to have started on the north side of the bridge and quickly spread across the span.

As of 4:30am, the southern end of the bridge was fully engulfed.

By 5am flames were still visible from the Radio NL Studios at 6th and Lansdowne but had gone down considerably.

Speaking to Radio NL, Kamloops Fire Rescue Platoon Captain, Sheldon Guertin, said there were four trucks and 16 firefighters battling the blaze.

It doesn’t appear any buildings near the bridge have been affected.

KFR and the City of Kamloops are asking people stay away from the area, as well as Pioneer Park and the River’s Trail.

Captain Guertin says it’s far to early to speculate if arson is the cause.

“There will be an investigation. We don’t people jumping to any conclusions. Possibly it started mid-span, but again we don’t know. We’re going to have to deal with that. We’ve extended our hands and our hearts to our neighbors across the River [Tk’emlups],” Stephen Karpuk, acting Mayor of Kamloops for September, told Radio NL.

Karpuk and acting CAO Byron McCorkell are cutting short their time at the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver to come back to Kamloops to deal with the fallout of the Red Bridge’s destruction.

At the same time, the leadership at Tk’emlups has also issued a response to the situation.

“We ask people for patience and to plan your travel routes accordingly, and to take extra precautions as we know that this adds to traffic congestion,” said Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir in a statement. “Please take note that we are asking those who have respiratory issues to take special due care as the air quality has been impacted, and we ask that you take the extra precautions of remaining indoors and if you have to go outside in the area, please wear a mask.”

At Tk’emlups, we are deeply saddened by the loss of the Red Bridge. It is a historical landmark connecting the local municipality and our IR,” the statement continued. “I would like to acknowledge that we will be working collaboratively with the City of Kamloops to address the environmental impacts, and we will keep everyone informed as new information becomes available.”

The fire comes just two days after the bridge was shut down for 24 hours because of a blaze that broke out early Tuesday.

According to the Kamloops Heritage Commission, the span was first constructed in 1887 and named the Government Bridge, but colloquially was called the Red Bridge.

It was later rebuilt in 1912 and again in 1936.

Video Courtesy of Nevada Woods
Twitter: @nevvie13