Inferno on bridge!

Blaze shuts Queensboro for hours – traffic in both directions forced to back off span

Newscast of the blaze

A raging fire on the Queensboro Bridge pumped black smoke into the afternoon sky and forced the closing of the vital span yesterday [Tuesday], snarling traffic into the night.

“I’m glad the bridge didn’t burn down,” said Vincent Gagnon, 45, a frustrated deliveryman who was trying to get into Manhattan. “But it’s hard enough to get around in this town. My whole day is shot.”

Traffic was stopped in both directions just before 1 p.m., and vehicles were backed off the bridge as 170 firefighters swarmed the span, which connects Manhattan and Queens.

The fire ignited on the upper level of the bridge as contractors sandblasted away lead paint as part of a $167 million makeover. The four-alarm blaze quickly engulfed a huge tarp and scaffolding.

The bridge, one of the busiest arteries in the city, carrying about 182,950 motorists each day, was partially reopened just before the evening rush hour with cars allowed back on the lower level.

City officials planned to have the upper level reopened by 5 a.m today. Inspectors were checking the steel span for structural damage.

It took firefighters about two hours to get the blaze under control, pumping water from ground hydrants through a series of bridge pipes to douse the flames.

Two firefighters suffered minor burns, and three others were treated for muscle strains and ankle sprains.

The tarp, intended to prevent the release of toxic chemicals during the sandblasting, was not fireproof, though a netting under it was flame-retardant, FDNY officials said.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Elaine Yen, 30, of Queens, who had hoped to spend the day in Manhattan with her daughter. “We’re going to turn around and go home.”