I-85 Collapse: Suspect Indicted on Arson Charge

ATLANTA, GA -- A Fulton County grand jury has indicted a 39-year-old man accused of setting the fire that resulted in the collapse of a bridge along Interstate 85 in Midtown Atlanta.

The grand jury indicted Basil Eleby on one count each of arson in the first degree and criminal damage to property in the first degree, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office said Friday.

Atlanta Fire Rescue crews responded to the fire burning underneath the bridge along Piedmont Road during the early evening hours of Thursday, March 31. While crews worked to put out the fire, the bridge collapsed. Fortunately, no public safety officials or residents were injured in the fire and collapse.

Authorities eventually tracked down two additional suspects, 39-year-old Sophia Brauer and 57-year-old Barry Andrew Thomas, in connection to incident that's forced millions of motorists to alter their normal traffic patterns.

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According to the District Attorney's Office, Thomas told officials he saw Eleby "set a chair on fire after he placed it on top of a shopping cart. This fire, the office added, is the initial blaze that led to the bridge's destruction.

Investigators located Eleby and discovered he consumed drugs underneath the bridge prior to the incident, the District Attorney's Office added. He was subsequently arrested.

Brauer and Thomas were both cited for misdemeanor criminal trespass. If convicted, Eleby could face 25 years in prison and fine up to $50,000, the office notes.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said it expects to complete the work to replace the overpass by June 15. Marietta-based C.W. Mathews has been selected to lead the massive project, which has been fast-tracked due to the collaborative efforts undertaken by local, state and federal officials.

Image via Fulton County Jail