Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012

ATLANTA (AP) -- City officials say a bridge in downtown Atlanta will remain closed indefinitely after a fire damaged the structure and sent chunks of concrete raining down to the street below.

Richard Mendoza, commissioner of Atlanta's Department Works Department, said in a statement Wednesday that the bridge will be closed pending a full inspection.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that officials are currently working to determine the damage. The blaze broke out Tuesday in a homeless camp near the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge.

The fire was so hot that it heated up the concrete and caused large pieces to fall.

Mendoza did not have an estimate time when the bridge would reopen. But he says that a detour would be in place for vehicles and pedestrians.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press)