A fire broke out on the Cabrillo Bridge near Balboa Park Thursday morning, drawing at least seven fire vehicles to the scene. The fire started in one of the columns about 40 feet down from the top of the bridge.
Firefighter extinguished the fire just before 3:30 p.m., more than four hours after smoke was first spotted pouring out of a hole in the bridge.
The fire started when Caltrans workers hit part of the column during a seismic retrofitting of the bridge, sparking a wooden scaffolding that surrounds it. The bridge is under construction until summer 2014 to help improve its structural integrity.
There was a similar fire in 2004 which took fire crews more than eight hours to extinguish, when they used a foam material to put it out.
The bridge, also known as Laurel Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a city of San Diego Landmark. It spans over State Route 163, where traffic moved slowly, although no sig alert has been issued.
Firefighters expected to be on scene until approximately 6 p.m.
The bridge will remain closed until Caltrans crews can inspect it.