ATLANTA (AP) - The Latest on the collapse of a section of an interstate in Atlanta (all times local):

Surface streets in Atlanta were clogged with traffic Friday morning after a massive fire caused a section of Interstate 85 to collapse, closing the major artery for the foreseeable future. She said she was told to walk despite being disabled, “but it’s raining and dark.”

The state’s top transportation official said there’s no way to tell when the highway, which carries 250,000 cars per day, can be safely reopened to traffic in either direction. “This incident — make no bones about it — will have a tremendous impact on travel.”

The interstate is a major artery for the U.S. South and a thoroughfare for traffic heading north and south through Atlanta. The bridge collapse effectively “puts a cork in the bottle,” Georgia State Patrol Commissioner Mark McDonough said. Officials said no one was hurt despite dramatic images of towering flames and plumes of smoke.”This is about as serious a transportation crisis as we can imagine,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said. She said she was told to walk despite being disabled, “but it’s raining and dark.”

Capt. “Not even two minutes later, the highway fell with a big ‘kaboom.’ (It) knocked our guys back.”

Interstate traffic was stopped and turned around, creating jams that extended 5 miles or more. Firefighters shut down the section of highway before it gave way, and made it to safety themselves after hearing the road cracking and seeing concrete go flying, authorities said.
A fire results in the collapse of a bridge on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Georgia, during rush hour, stranding motorists and resulting in a state of emergency. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed calls the situation a "transportation crisis" that could close the affected stretch of highway for days or weeks. A 2015 report stated that the highway carried nearly a quarter-million vehicles a day.