By Adam Thompson
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A massive fire broke out at a multi-story warehouse in West Baltimore, which disrupted Amtrak service along the East Coast on Monday.
All Amtrak trains operating between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore have since resumed service, according to Amtrak.
7-alarm fire begins:
The 7-alarm blaze started around 6:58 p.m. in the 2200 block of West Lanvale Street. According to fire officials, the warehouse stores stacks of mattresses, among other items.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“They are dumping large volumes of water into the fire,” Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace 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.
Amtrak on Monday said trains are stopped between Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., and an “extended delay is anticipated.” Amtrak canceled Train 186, which was to travel between Washington, D.C. and New York City.
By Tuesday morning, Amtrak said all trains operating between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore had resumed service. Passengers may experience a delay of up to 20 minutes due to residual rail congestion and single tracking through the area, Amtrak said.
“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.
200 firefighters assisting:
Wallace said approximately 200 firefighters from several agencies are assisting in containing the fire, while Baltimore police and arson detectives are also at the scene.
“We are going to be engaged here for quite a few hours,” Wallace said. “We will likely be here most of the night.”
Firefighters are telling people to avoid the area.
“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.”
Bringing in outside materials:
The Baltimore Fire Department has 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.”
Wallace said a cautious approach is being 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 are being removed:
Nearby residents along Bentalou Street are being removed out of precaution and sent to the local fire station, according to Wallace.
The Red Cross was called on to assist those residents, along with MTA buses, to provide 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.
Wallace said this isn’t considered to be an evacuation.
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 the fire is under investigation.
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