Wearing a navy jumpsuit, flip-flops and handcuffs, Eleby reluctantly shuffled into a courtroom at the Fulton County jail for his first appearance hearing, where Judge James Altman announced the arson charge, which coincidentally was added on top of an earlier felony charge of criminal damage to property.

Bond was set at $200,000 and Judge Altman said that he had considered an amount more “commensurate” with the damage inflicted.

Earlier footage of the I-85 fire from SKYFOX5 — story: bit.ly/2oerk1R #atlantafire #atlanta #fire #i85

A post shared by FOX 5 Atlanta (@fox5atlanta) on Mar 30, 2017 at 4:43pm PDT

Two other people, Sophia Bruner and Barry Thomas, have been charged with criminal trespass in connection with the case.

Eleby reportedly told officers that he encountered the two other defendants beneath the bridge and “discussed smoking crack cocaine” but in the end decided “he would consume the drugs by himself” and “left the area before the fire started,” according to a criminal warrant presented to the magistrate court.

In the same warrant, obtained by the Journal-Constitution, officials said Thomas told them he saw Eleby place a chair on top of a shopping cart, reach under the shopping cart and ignite it.

There are many questions that remain unanswered about the huge fire, including how the fire actually started and what role Eleby and the two others associated with the incident actually may have had.

For the record, the DA would not discuss how the fire was started or why, saying those details would be released as the investigation progresses.

I don’t know about you, but blaming a homeless man for this huge traffic disaster seems a bit convenient.  I’ve heard several conspiracy theories surrounding the Atlanta fire disaster, and while I’ve yet to come to my own conclusion, this homeless dude seems to be an easy scapegoat.

What are your thoughts about the Atlanta fire situation?