Concerns over vacant buildings arise after Five-alarm fire in downtown Baltimore

Federal investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) were again on the scene of a five-alarm fire that ripped through multiple vacant historic buildings on the west side of downtown Baltimore. 

The cause of the massive blaze near West Fayette and North Howard Streets on Tuesday remains under investigation. 

Cleaning up

Firefighters sprayed down the George Knipp building for hot spots on Wednesday. 

The brick, cast-iron fronted structure dates to 1875, but like so many other buildings along North Howard Street, it has sat vacant for years. 

Some of the structures here have already been condemned. 

One building on West Fayette Street collapsed and will be demolished. 

"I remember these buildings from childhood, and I have a sentimental spot even for these abandoned buildings that I once shopped in," Alex Brown told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. 

Brown lives nearby and saw the thick smoke that choked the area. It is just blocks from Lexington Market and the CFG Bank Arena. 

"It's very sad. I remember when downtown used to have candy canes at Christmas time, and it was vibrant—and you felt safe, and it felt good," Brown said.

"Things could have been done years ago," said Baltimore native Roland Morton. "It's up to the government and the city to put money down here."

Morton also remembers better days here before neglect set in. 

"This didn't need to happen because these buildings have been vacant for at least 20 years or more," Morton said. "By them being dilapidated, no one was using them. You've got people who are homeless, and they might go in there."

Redevelopment delays

The area is part of the ambitious Superblock redevelopment and Five and Dime Historic district — a multimillion-dollar project that's struggled for years. 

"Howard Street is an important thing, and they've been talking about the Superblock since I was at Mervo High School," Mayor Brandon Scott said Wednesday at a city hall news conference. 

The mayor said the 12,477 vacant buildings in Baltimore are the lowest number in about 20 years. 

He is still committed to reducing the number of vacant structures to zero in 15 years, but that plan faces funding challenges.    

Scott said teams need "to see the full length of the damage and what that means for the rest of the block, and then we'll go forward before commenting on how it will impact the proposed development. But we know that it needs to happen. That is something that we're going to continue to do."

Last month, a building just a few blocks away on Eutaw Street started leaning and had to be demolished. The buildings next to it were also in dangerous condition, neighbors said. 

"We know we have our vacants plan, and the plan is the plan. It has vacants at a historic low in the city of Baltimore," Mayor Scott said. "We're going to continue that partnership that we have with the city, with the private community."

Most pressing now is finding the cause of the Howard Street fire. ATF and Baltimore fire arson investigators used a drone to fly through the burnt structures on Wednesday afternoon.

"That's the crazy part. It jumped from one building to three buildings to four buildings," Brown said. "It almost stimulated my tear ducts a little bit, but I do understand that everything changes. I'm a firm believer in it. Those buildings were going to fall down. I don't even know how they're standing now."