The Brooklyn Bridge experienced a partial fire on Saturday night during Macy's Fourth of July fireworks display over the East River.
Video footage captured plumes of smoke emerging from sections of the bridge as fireworks launched from its structure exploded overhead. Multiple sections of the bridge appeared to ignite during the pyrotechnics.
Witnesses on the Brooklyn waterfront described the fire starting small and growing larger, with one observer expressing initial confusion before fear set in. "At first I thought it was supposed to happen but then I was scared it would explode. I thought the bridge was made of wood so I was scared," said Nearing Khoula, 24, who was visiting from France. Another witness, Mohamed Shaban, 31, from Egypt, noted, "It started as a small fire and got bigger. There was too much black smoke."
According to a reporter on the scene, the fires burned out within approximately one minute. The extent of the damage to the Brooklyn Bridge was not immediately clear. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.