Fire collapses portion of interstate highway in Atlanta

(Reuters) - A portion of the Interstate 85 highway collapsed in Atlanta on Thursday due to a fire under the bridge, the city's fire and rescue agency said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the incident but Atlanta Fire and Rescue said on Twitter that all lanes were blocked and that residents should avoid the area.

It was not immediately clear what was burning under the bridge, but local TV images showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky above the freeway as a line of cars stood halted on either side.

A photo posted on the Twitter feed of local WSB-TV showed what appeared to be barrels and coils under the bridge.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sandra Maler)