Yesterday afternoon, Baltimore's city landscape was disturbed by a towering inferno as firefighters tackled a severe five-alarm fire in downtown Baltimore. The blaze, which erupted at the intersection of N. Howard Street and W. Fayette Street resulted in one building collapse and affected two surrounding structures, both of which were vacant according to WMAR-2 News
The fire commanded the presence of multiple firefighting crews who battled the flames from the exterior due to the precarious condition of the buildings involved. "These are old buildings, they're vacant, we don't want to put our firefighter personnel in harms way so the incident commander made the decision to fight this fire from the exterior," Joey Henderson, Director of the Office of Emergency Management, told reporters in a statement detailed by WMAR-2 News. The fire's magnitude forced authorities to shut down the light rail and reroute several bus services.
As the fire has been brought under control, there's a collective sigh of relief that no injuries have been reported. The Maryland Department of Transportation says the light rail will remain suspended this morning, a move that reflects the sheer extent of the fire's impact on downtown Baltimore. "Crews are working diligently to contain the blaze and ensure the safety of all individuals involved," a fire department post conveyed, as reported by WBAL-TV.
An investigation spearheaded by the arson unit and fire investigation teams is currently underway to determine the cause of the fire. The involvement of federal agencies, such as the ATF, highlights the severity of the incident.
