Baltimore County fire officials retracted their initial statement about what caused Monday afternoon’s collapse of the historic Carroll Road Bridge in Phoenix.

Images released by the department that evening show a red septic truck with a large silver tank lying among the mangled remains of the 146-year-old bridge, with a large tree fallen across the span behind it.

Initially, officials said the truck caused the collapse, suggesting, but not explicitly saying, that the bridge buckled under the weight of the truck.

In a statement posted Tuesday to X, the Fire Department said its initial post is incorrect. The Baltimore County Police Department is now investigating the incident and said in an email that a cause has yet to be determined.

Images show the truck belonged to Cossentino Septic Services, a father-and-son septic business that has served Baltimore and Carroll counties for about 50 years. Much of northern Baltimore County isn’t served by the county sewer system and relies on septic tanks.

Co-owner John Cossentino said in a text message that the truck was carrying 10,000 pounds less than the bridge’s 48,000-pound weight limit. He did not respond to phone calls seeking further comment.

Cossentino’s brother, Tom, said the family was still cleaning up after the crash and trying to salvage what was left of the truck.

“It has devastated his business since that’s his only truck, and he has many local customers that need their septics serviced,” Tom Cossentino said in a Facebook message.

The 92-foot metal truss bridge with a wooden deck was built in 1879 and most recently renovated in 2006. It’s listed in the Maryland Historical Trust’s Historic Bridge Inventory. It carries traffic on Carroll Road over Carroll Branch, a tributary of Big Gunpowder Falls.

“We are saddened by the loss of one of Maryland’s remaining historic metal truss bridges and stand ready to assist Baltimore County as next steps are evaluated,” wrote David Buck, spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Planning, in an email.

Records show the most recent county inspection, on Dec. 5, 2024, found the bridge in “fair condition” overall.

The report noted that erosion should be monitored in future inspections and indicated that elements have “exposed the roots of a very large tree” along the bridge’s southwest bank, and there are several more trees with exposed roots leaning over the channel, downstream from the bridge.

It is unclear whether the large tree that fell contributed to the bridge collapse.

Jay Apperson, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of the Environment, said crews who assessed the site Monday night and Tuesday morning found no evidence of fuel or sewage contamination in the stream. The waterway ultimately feeds Loch Raven Reservoir, a source of raw water for much of Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

“Presently, there is no risk to the environment,” Apperson said.

Road closures remain in effect, county police officials said. There is no timeline for when the bridge will be rebuilt.

Banner reporter Nori Leybengrub contributed to this article.