West Baltimore warehouse condemned after massive fire, crews considering demolition
The massive warehouse that caught fire Monday night in West Baltimore has been condemned and could be demolished, according to fire officials.
As of Wednesday morning, crews were still on the scene addressing hotspots, but are scaling back operations.
The seven-alarm fire that broke out at the multi-story warehouse was contained to the building on Tuesday.
Cause of fire under investigation
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said several agencies are investigating the cause of the seven-alarm fire, including the Maryland Fire Marshal, Baltimore City Fire Department's Fire Investigation Bureau, and arson investigators with the Baltimore Police Department.
Fire crews said there is concern that the building, or part of it, could collapse, particularly near the train tracks. Amtrak service was limited to one track on Tuesday.
"We have some stability concerns. We have building engineers here, and we are in fact working on a demolition plan," Wallace said.
Wallace said he requested that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) take on and lead the investigation, given the size and scope of the fire and the ATF's ability to bring in additional resources.
A "boom" sound was heard several times on Monday night. When asked, fire officials say those sounds were another reason they enlisted the help of federal investigators.
Wallace added that the building has a sprinkler system, but investigators are trying to figure out if it was working. They are also looking into whether the building was open, breached, or locked.
Chief Wallace said fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. He said that mattresses stacked inside the warehouse fueled the flames.
Warehouse's stability concern
While the fire is contained, crews are concerned about the stability of the building. Wallace said that the department is working on an extensive demolition plan.
"I was very adamant that I was not putting my people inside," Wallace said.
Wallace added that the fire attack was mainly from the outside and above, using ladder trucks to gain leverage as the fire burned at the core of the building.
"These aerial streams that you see can only reach so far," Wallace explained. 'By way of thermal imaging technology, we're seeing a lot of heat in the middle of the building, directly under that water tower," Wallace said.
The building owner is "cooperating", according to Baltimore City Fire.
Nearby school closes early on Tuesday
All students at Empower Academy on Braddish Avenue were dismissed at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday due to the impact of the fire on the surrounding area, the school announced.
Families were notified to pick up their children, and staff remained with students until they were picked up, the school said.
200 firefighters assist in West Baltimore fire
The 7-alarm fire started around 6:58 p.m. in the 2200 block of West Lanvale Street at a warehouse.
According to fire officials, the warehouse stores stacks of mattresses, among other items.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said about 200 firefighters from several agencies assisted in containing the fire. Baltimore Police and arson detectives were also on the scene Monday night.
Firefighters advised people to avoid the area. The Maryland Department of the Environment offered similar advice and recommended that residents stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.
"This is why we have the team that we have," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "This is why we train for these moments, so that we can step up to the occasion."
Two below-ground levels of the warehouse have posed a challenge in the effort to contain the fire, along with a large water tower on the top of the building, Wallace explained Tuesday morning.
"Those subsurface fires are very, very dangerous. We're still working through a point of origin, to actually see whether it was internal, or external, and worked its way in," Wallace said.
Low water pressure hampers fire response
The Baltimore Fire Department brought in special materials to attack the fire from the exterior, according to Wallace.
According to the fire chief, the area has had water pressure issues and has smaller water mains, meaning outside water had to be brought to the scene.
"This is a residential area, so a lot of the water mains here are six-inch mains," Wallace said. "We are at a point where our water flows have exceeded what the water grid has, so additional apparatus has been brought in. We are going outside of this immediate footprint, and we are bringing in water from larger mains."
The fire chief explained that there is nothing uncommon about the issue, and said crews worked with the Department of Public Works (DPW) to determine ways to access increased water pressure.
Wallace said a cautious approach was taken before entering the warehouse.
"The unknown is what's in there and how much is in there," he said. "It is such a smoky fire. I'm sure the whole Northwest side of the city is seeing and smelling the smoke. It's just a tremendous amount of smoke back there."
Residents displaced due to Baltimore fire
Fire Chief Wallace said 30 nearby residents along Bentalou Street were displaced from their homes due to their proximity to the warehouse. Those residents were moved to hotel shelters.
Wallace also said BGE shut down utilities in the area.
The Red Cross was called to assist, along with MTA buses, which provided shelter.
"We need to get back in there, we need to engage from behind their homes, so we want to get people out of our way," Wallace said Monday night.
Wallace said it wasn't considered to be an evacuation.
"They are dumping large volumes of water into the fire," he said. "The challenge has been getting into the seat of this fire. Given the size of the building, the size of the fire, we are having to be very cautious, very meticulous as we move in there."
Warehouse fire delays Amtrak service
Wallace said the fire started on the backside of the warehouse, and the eastern side is close to Amtrak tracks. The fire chief said they worked with Amtrak to de-energize the overhead lines, which will cause Amtrak delays along the East Coast.
On Monday, the company said trains were stopped between Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., with extended delays anticipated. Amtrak canceled Train 186, which was set to travel between Washington, D.C. and New York City.
By Tuesday morning, the company said trains between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore were back up and running. Amtrak said there will be residual congestion and delays, however.
"As you can imagine, that takes a little bit of time because that's going to affect some traffic up and down the East Coast," Wallace said.
Firefighters injured in another Baltimore fire
Earlier on Monday, two Baltimore firefighters were hospitalized after putting out a fire in downtown Baltimore, according to fire officials.
Crews responded to a building fire on West Saratoga Street near Park Avenue. The Baltimore Fire Department said one of the firefighters is in critical condition.
The cause of this fire is under investigation.
