Homeless evicted from Athens bridge camp after fire

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Authorities have evicted the homeless people who lived beneath a bridge on the edge of downtown Athens one week after a fire destroyed belongings and damaged the bridge.

Officials put up no-trespassing signs on the North Avenue bridge where it crosses the North Oconee River.

Athens-Clarke County Manager Alan Reddish says police have increased patrols of the area to make sure no one returns to the camp, and a fence will soon be erected to keep out trespassers.

One of the homeless people who lived there, 43-year-old Carole Childers-Queen, was charged with arson after authorities say she set a boot on fire and then threw it on some belongings beneath the bridge after an argument with another homeless person.