3 charged in Atlanta fire that prompted overpass collapse

ATLANTA — Three people have been charged in connection with a Thursday fire that resulted in the collapse of an elevated span of Interstate 85, a major Atlanta thoroughfare that connects five states.

Basil Eleby is charged with first-degree arson and first-degree criminal damage to property, a felony. His bail had been set at $200,000. Sophia Bruner and Barry Thomas were charged with criminal trespass, and investigators said more charges could be pending.

The three had gathered under the bridge to smoke crack, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Eleby told investigators that he regularly passes through the area on the way to his job at a nearby tire shop, according to the affidavit. Although Eleby denied setting the fire, Thomas allegedly said he watched Eleby place a chair on top of a shopping cart and ignite it.. Then they scattered.

The fire was “maliciously set,” a spokesman for the Atlanta Fire Department told The Washington Post. Investigators spoke with the suspects Friday night but have not released more details on what the trio was doing before the fire broke out. Investigators say they think Eleby set the fire, which quickly grew out of control as the flames consumed PVC pipes stored under the elevated highway.

Eleby made his appearance before a judge Saturday. He has a lengthy arrest record, according to the Journal-Constitution — 19 arrests since 1995, mostly for drug offenses. Investigators say they believe he and the two other people arrested are homeless.