A 50-foot pile of burning trash at a homeless encampment sent smoke billowing over the Buford Highway Connector on Monday, Aug. 10, forcing Atlanta Fire Rescue Department crews to the scene near Interstate 85 and Peachtree Creek.
Firefighters pulled hoses and extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported.
Fox 5 Atlanta, citing the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, reported that the fire burned beneath the same stretch of viaduct where a massive blaze collapsed a section of I-85 on March 30, 2017, shutting down one of metro Atlanta's most heavily traveled corridors for 43 days and costing $15 million to repair.
After the flames were out, the Georgia Department of Transportation took control of the scene. As of Monday, authorities had not said whether anyone at the encampment faces charges.
Prior fires at the corridor
The Buford Highway Connector near I-85 carried nearly 250,000 vehicles per day at the time of the 2017 collapse, according to Atlanta Regional Commission data. Fires beneath its spans are not new.
The 2017 collapse started when 76 reels of high-density polyethylene conduit and nine racks of fiberglass conduit, stored under the bridge by GDOT, ignited. The National Transportation Safety Board found that GDOT contributed to the collapse by storing combustible materials there and failing to assess the fire risk.
In February 2024, a series of five small trash fires at a homeless encampment near the Lenox Road and Buford Highway bridge prompted responses from Brookhaven Police, Atlanta Police and Atlanta Fire and Rescue, temporarily closing the bridge, GPB reported.
Monday's fire adds to a pattern that has plagued emergency officials for years, according to Fox 5 Atlanta, citing the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and GDOT.
What's not yet known
Neither the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department nor GDOT has announced a timeline for encampment cleanup or any plan to address recurring fire hazards at the site. GDOT has control of the scene but has not publicly stated next steps.
Non-emergency concerns about encampments on state right-of-way can be reported to GDOT at 511 or online at 511ga.org.
