Another fire near Cheshire Bridge stokes homeless encampment concerns
ATLANTA - Atlanta fire officials responded to yet another call about smoke coming from underneath Cheshire Bridge Road over the weekend.
The report comes as repairs continue on the bridge that has been shut down for months after a fire in December. One resident, who called 911, told FOX 5 the incident has renewed his concerns about homeless encampments in the area.
Morningside resident Jai Tee said it was difficult to watch smoke rise from underneath the closed-portion of Cheshire Bridge Road that sits just a few hundred feet from his apartment.
He was one of hundreds of residents displaced by a fire at Lavista Walk apartments last December.
"Having to pass by every day, you know, it triggers certain things. So, you know, I’m waiting for them to re-open this bridge so I don’t have to keep reliving that moment," he told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Businesses hurting as second fire closes Cheshire Bridge
It’s been nearly a week since a fire at what officials believe to be a homeless encampment underneath a Cheshire Bridge Road overpass shut down a portion of the roadway. While crews are working to make repairs, some business owners say they’re already feeling the effects of less traffic.
Tee captured video on Friday night of Atlanta fire crews on scene responding to black clouds coming from up the bridge’s sides. Fire officials say that smoke was from a small campfire.
"I went out, I’m seeing smoke and literally I’m like, ’Not again’," he recalled.
A City of Atlanta spokesperson disputed that claim, saying it was a brush fire about a hundred yards away.
In the months since Atlanta police dismantled a homeless encampment under the bridge that was thought to be the cause of the fire, Jai Tee said he’s noticed many have returned to the place they once called home.
"I walk this route three to four times a week just as a workout, so I see what it is. Especially at nighttime, you see them, you know, walking up," he said.
Tee told FOX 5 the fire Friday made him worry about the possibility of even more delays to the project that’s scheduled for completion at the end of May.
In response to questions about the issue of unhoused residents of Cheshire Bridge, a city spokesperson said: "Encampment efforts are ongoing, as are emergency shelter operations, which continue to provide wraparound services."
Tee said he wants to see the city more closely monitoring the area around the bridge.
City officials referred FOX 5 back to a statement from February about proposed solutions to homelessness which said:
"The City intends to utilize what was formerly known as the Athletic Club of the Atlanta Medical Center campus as a temporary emergency shelter to provide assistance to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness as we continue to construct and identify longer-term housing solutions like The Melody."