Massive 4-alarm fire engulfs Baltimore warehouse in Remington neighborhood

Baltimore firefighters battled a massive, 4-alarm fire in the city's Remington neighborhood Friday afternoon, prompting nearby residents to evacuate. 

Crews responded to the 400 block of W 23rd Street around 1:30 p.m. for a warehouse fire that threatened to destroy an entire block of homes. 

"They were working around energized BGE lines; they were working through a very, very high volume of fire," Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said.

According to fire officials, the fire was located at a commercial building that houses two separate businesses: a woodworking business on the ground floor and a toys or textiles business on the second floor. 

Around 3:30 p.m., Chief Wallace said the fire likely started at the exterior of the building and was driven into the building due to the gusty wind conditions. 

"These men and women absolutely risked their lives..."

According to Chief Wallace, 23 civilians were evacuated and relocated to a nearby church. 

"We're giving them food and resources and connecting them with family and also providing them with a place to stay for the evening for those who weren't able to return home," said Jermaine Jones, District 12 Councilman. "The men and women of the Baltimore City Fire Department did an amazing job of containing the fire and making sure that the people they asked to evacuate their homes – their homes weren't destroyed…"

On Saturday, residents on the even side of the block were cleared to return to their homes, and the temporary shelter at the church was closed, according to the fire department. Other residents were escorted back to retrieve essential items and then taken to a local hotel with help from the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, officials said. 

Neighbors recounted the moment they realized there was a massive fire right outside their front doors.

"When we got here, it was just a big ball of black smoke. You couldn't see anything," Deborah Gardner said. "We heard that there were there was a forklift that caught fire, and it exploded propane gas tanks."

Baltimore City Fire Department has not yet said what caused this fire.

The clean up is now underway, boarding up windows, sweeping up embers, and trying to clear out lingering smoke as neighbors return home.

"I set up some air purifiers, and I'm not sure. I'll probably stay with some friends for a couple nights and just let it kind of air out a little bit," Mollie Bailey said.

Many neighbors say they are fortunate that the fire wasn't worse and didn't spread to their homes, but they called it a terrifying experience.  

"I'm getting emotional because we already went through one house fire when my kids were younger, but to think that everyone would be affected around me, or lives would be at risk, it was just really devastating," Gardner said.

No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.   

"The firefighters from BCFD 100% saved the houses back on 23rd Street," Chief Wallace said during a short news conference. "100% put themselves between the warehouse and these residents' homes. These men and women absolutely risked their lives." 

"They are inside of the homes with handlines, they're on the roofs of these homes with handlines, and they're in the air above the homes with handlines," Wallace said.  

Smoke from the fire was visible along the Baltimore skyline in some locations. 

The smoke was also visible from WJZ's station in the Woodberry neighborhood. 

Neighbors were asked to avoid the area during the active response, while people who live and work in the area, like Paul Mercer, rushed to save their belongings.

"When I came down…there was a huge black plume of smoke… I think it was when the flames were still kind of going, so I came down and put the respirator on," Mercer explained to WJZ's Caroline Foreback.

According to the First Alert Weather Team, gusty southwest winds made firefighting efforts difficult. Wind gusts were up to 30 mph, keeping smoke and ash close to the ground, spreading it through portions of the Charles Village and Remington neighborhoods. 

It is unclear how the fire started, but Chief Wallace told media outlets that the warehouse was in very poor condition and could be at risk of collapse.