I had just finished a newsroom live report when the first scanner traffic began about a bridge down.

Honestly, I and everyone else in the newsroom that evening thought the dispatcher must mean some small bridge somewhere.

And then we heard people may be hurt. And finally, that cars were in the water.

When I heard that people and cars were in the water, I knew that meant this was a significant news event.

I hopped in a live truck with one of our techs, Jim Biagi, and got to the southeast corner of the bridge.

Right in front of me was the last span to collapse - the one resting at a 45 degree angle on the southside, with flames licking the concrete and black smoke pouring forth from below.

The scene immediately took me back to my home state of California - and the destruction to highways, overpasses, and bridges after earthquakes in 1989 and 1994.

The 35W bridge looked like a strong force of nature brought it down. Now we know science - not nature - probably was the overriding force. While Jim set up a live truck, I grabbed his camera and started shooting video.

Reporter Chris O'Connell joined me and we traded off behind the camera. Within an hour and a half, friend and family across the country began sending me text messages, voice mails, and emails asking if I was OK and what the scene looked like with my own eyes.