The latest chapter in the saga of the Crook Point Bascule: The Charring. And this blaze was going pretty good too — check out the footage at WPRI. I missed all that somehow but checked in today to see what the situation was. I happened upon a member of the Providence Fire Department — they have been checking in all day — and we had a very pleasant chat behind the East Side Marketplace. (This pic makes it look like the entrance to the bike path is blocked off. That is not the case — it is open.)
Here’s what I learned: The Fire Department was only able to fight the fire from the river with their fire boats, which didn’t reach quite far enough. I asked if accelerants had been detected, but fire personnel still haven’t been able to get out there and size up the situation; walking on the bridge is still deemed too dangerous right now.
It is unknown if the fire had been started accidentally by fireworks, or if vandals had set the bridge ablaze intentionally. While we were chatting, a man with a drone — possibly filming for the RIDOT, see today’s ProJo — pulled up. Among other things, he was able to see that the swing was now a charred wreck. (Yes, long ago a swing had been attached on the highest crossbar of the structure. You can still see the dangling remains with the naked eye.)
The City of Providence had recently chosen a winner in a competition to repurpose the bridge. That plan involved illuminating the upright span and developing the area below.
And one more thing: Seagulls don’t like drones.
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View from the bike path. Squint and you can see the old swing. The area smells like an old burnt bascule.
