A bridge connecting the small western Arizona community of Cibola to California was destroyed by a wildfire earlier this month. The La Paz County Board of Supervisors has declared a state of emergency.
According to the Bureau of Land Management, firefighters were battling a blaze in the Oxbow Recreation and Wildlife Area on Aug. 1. The 5-acre fire spread to the Oxbow Bridge, which collapsed into the Colorado River.
County supervisors declared an emergency, citing the loss of the critical access route — as well as health and safety threats posed by the debris.
Carissa Rosenfeld is with nonprofit organization Friends of Cibola NWR.
“So not only are you not able to drive across the bridge because the bridge isn’t there anymore, you’re not able to pass by boat either because there’s still debris in the water,” she said.
Several agencies assessed the damage, including the BLM and ADOT.
Rosenfeld says people used the bridge for various purposes like going to medical appointments in the south or hitting the highway to travel to San Diego.
“Not only does it provide transportation to other areas like Yuma where people go for medical appointments or grocery shopping, but it also provides access to those that are coming from Yuma to visit the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge and Cibola area,” Rosenfeld said.
