Editor's note: This article was updated after its initial publication to include more information from the bridge project developer and a Sunday news release from the city of Corpus Christi
Two people were injured at Whataburger Field, including a woman who was taken to the hospital, after a fire broke out on a crane at the new Harbor Bridge Saturday night. Cat 5 Cable Spool
The fire occurred during a packed Corpus Christi Hooks game as thousands of fans flocked to take photos with the Houston Astros' World Series trophy.
Assistant Fire Chief Doug Matthijetz said the Corpus Christi Fire Department was dispatched at 7:43 p.m. when a crane, 450 feet in the air, caught fire on the south side of the Port of Corpus Christi.
A review of the incident by Flatiron/Dragados, the Harbor Bridge project developer, is underway, company spokesperson Lynn Allison told the Caller-Times in an email Sunday.
Matthijetz said the crane's drum brake somehow overheated and created a fire through the grease that lubricates it.
"The crane operator tried to extinguish the fire and was almost successful, but they had to evacuate as it got worse," Matthijetz said.
The fire was contained by 9:20 p.m., he said.
Two employees were on the crane at the time of the fire. There were no injuries on the job site, Allison said.
But a man and a woman watching the Corpus Christi Hooks were injured by shrapnel that struck them.
A concrete device that was attached to the end of the crane fell and hit the ground. Matthijetz said the man was looked over and cleared, but the woman suffered a puncture on the side of her chest and was transported to a hospital via an ambulance.
Matthijetz said the woman was not in critical condition, but the ambulance crew was unable to see if anything internal was injured, such as a punctured lung.
The city of Corpus Christi, in a Sunday afternoon news release, said it is working alongside the Texas Department of Transportation, Port of Corpus Christi Police Department and the Corpus Christi Fire Department to "to determine the cause" of the fire.
"Additional information will be shared with the community once it becomes available," the release states.
The prolonged Harbor Bridge project became the subject of scrutiny last summer when construction was paused due to concerns with elements of the design. Those issues, if not addressed, could have contributed to the bridge collapsing.
TxDOT and the project developer reached an agreement earlier this month on how to resolve the last of five design disputes. The project is expected to be finished in 2025, more than five years behind its original completion timeline.
Saturday’s incident was the first involving fires or falling debris on tower cranes during the bridge replacement project, Allison, the Flatiron/Dragados spokesperson, said in a written statement to the Caller-Times.
Allison said the timeline of the incident review, whether the employees’ actions would be reviewed and whether they would be placed on leave were all “pending further review.”
Contract documents between TxDOT and Flatiron/Dragados state Flatiron/Dragados is responsible for the implementation of safety and incident response protocols for the bridge project. Safety precautions are reviewed daily, Allison said.
She said the proximity of the affected tower crane to Whataburger Field and whether part of the crane was hanging over any part of the stadium was “undetermined.”
She also could not immediately answer the Caller-Times’ questions about the cause of the fire, the damage to the crane and what type of firefighting or fire-retardant gear the workers had.
Allison declined to disclose the roles of the two employees on the crane but said everyone “on the job site is properly trained and licensed or certified as required by specific scopes of work.”
Asked which regulatory agencies Flatiron/Dragados would notify of the incident, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Allison said the Flatiron/Dragados safety manager “will follow all regulatory reporting protocols and requirements.”
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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