CINCINNATI — The public’s curiosity continues to grow about what caused the fire that damaged the Ohio approach of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge.
WCPO has repeatedly asked officials for any updates on the investigation, however, the Cincinnati Fire Department said it is still an active investigation.
While rumors have circulated on social media that the fire was started by a person who was homeless, CFD said they cannot confirm who or what started it at this time.
“Sharing information too soon can compromise the integrity of the investigation by jeopardizing witness safety, alerting potential suspects and revealing crucial strategies. For this reason, until the [Fire Investigative Unit] has a definitive reason to share, we will not be able to share anything,” CFD said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Climate, Environmental and Infrastructure Committee held its biweekly meeting. While the bridge was not on the agenda, WCPO asked each member of the committee about the status of the fire investigation.
Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Council member Meeka Owens, Chairperson
WCPO 9: Do you think the fire department needs to give us a status update on the investigation?
Owens: Our fire department is going to take their time to make sure they're doing a proper and thorough investigation, and so certainly, I know a lot of people are anxious to understand the cause, but I'm sure that will come in due time.
WCPO 9: Do you think there's a perception there's a lack of public transparency?
Owens: Well, I hope not, but what we can do is communicate even more about the status of the bridge. Obviously, ODOT is the entity that is in charge of making sure we get this bridge back in order. And so there is a little bit of a time frame, March is what's suggested at this moment. But what's important for people to realize is that this is a huge undertaking, and what's most important is that this infrastructure is safe for people to cross over once it’s complete.
WCPO 9: As far as the fire, have you reached out to the department at all to see what the status of their update was?
Owens: We have not yet, but I would imagine that is something we'll be looking into this week. But certainly, I think we're in a place where people want to hear a little bit more about what the fire department is doing.
Council member Mark Jeffreys, Vice-Chair
WCPO 9: Do you think the fire department needs to share an update on where they are in their investigation?
Jeffreys: I do. I asked the city manager recently when we're going to provide an update. I know they're working diligently to get to the bottom of it. I think it would be helpful now, given it’s a few weeks to just provide an update, even if it's work in progress. Like, hey, we don't have all the answers, but here are the areas that we're exploring, I think it would be helpful to share an update.
WCPO 9: You asked the city manager, what did she say?
Jeffreys: I sent her an email on it.
WCPO 9: Do you think they'll come to another infrastructure meeting two weeks from now?
Jeffreys: I think there's a couple of opportunities the next few weeks for an update, and I think that would be appropriate.
Council member Jeff Cramerding, Member
WCPO 9: Have you heard from the fire department?
Cramerding: We have heard from the fire department. They are conducting the investigation. They've asked counsel not to speculate, and I am doing my best to honor that request at this juncture.
WCPO 9: [Why] is that helpful for them? Do you know?
Cramerding: I take their word for it that they're conducting an investigation and that they've got very real suspects or a suspect, and are really trying to find somebody to be held responsible. And this was a huge issue for the city of Cincinnati and the surrounding areas.
WCPO 9: Do you think they should give an update when they have anything they can share?
Cramerding: Yes, I'm looking forward to an update. I know that others are as well.
WCPO 9: Do you ever know when that might come?
Cramerding: I do not know at this juncture, but I am waiting anxiously.
WCPO 9: Anything else you want to mention?
Cramerding: We are working with our parks department on replacing the other infrastructure and getting ready for some big events like river routes and Oktoberfest because we want our park to be in good shape and are just eagerly awaiting the bridge to be reopened.
Council member Seth Walsh, Member*
WCPO 9: Has the fire department shared any information with council members about the status of the investigation?
Walsh: As of right now, I've not heard anything, no.
WCPO9: Do you think there needs to be an update?
Walsh: Candidly, I think, in terms of my priorities, this is lower end. What we know is that there was a fire and there was massive damage to the bridge, and the resulting impact of the damage to that bridge is causing some pretty massive impacts on our lives. Let's get that bridge up and running, and let's get that congestion sorted out as much as we possibly can.
If that means it takes a little bit longer to figure out what the delay was, I'm OK waiting to figure out what caused the fire. At this point, I want to solve the rest of the problems, because it's just not high on my priority list at this point. So long as there's no fear of a fire happening again, which there's not, I'm not concerned about what happened with it right now.
WCPO 9: So no worry about a lack of public transparency or perception?
Walsh: When they know, they're going to tell everybody, and then we can ask questions if there's any questions, if there's any reason to ask those questions. Right now, I think that there are bigger priorities that we need to spend our time and energy talking about. I would love to hear what it was. I'd love to know what happened, but [on] areas I can spend my energy on, that's not high.
* = The interview with council member Walsh was conducted on Monday, Dec. 2.
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