Thanks to Dave Statter at www.Statter911.com for his coverage of this story and the other contributing authors.
The Baltimore City Fire Department had a busy end of 2010 and seems to be starting 2011 the same way. The video above is from Michael “FirePix1075” Schwartzberg of the fire that began late Saturday night at 315 North Howard Street. Here’s Michael’s write-up from the fire:
Baltimore City, Maryland firefighters were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night January 1, 2011 to 315 North Howard Street for smoke reported coming from a commercial building (Box 23-9). Crews found heavy smoke coming from a 7-story building that was partially vacant. Firefighters initially attempted an interior attack but the incident commander pulled crews out as conditions deteriorated. Firefighters used multiple deck guns, handlines and ladder pipes from outside the structure to attack the deep-seated fire.
Photo by Stanley Jaworski. Click the image for more.
More than 4.5 hours after the initial call, firefighters were still flowing large amounts of water into the structure to control the fire. One firefighter sustained minor injuries when he was hit in the helmet by a sledgehammer while operating on the fireground. The MTA Light Rail was shut down due to the location of the fire fronting the tracks. The BCFD Fire Investigation Bureau is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.
