Firefighters contained a four-alarm blaze in Southeast Baltimore on Wednesday that sent black smoke billowing over the city and drew crews from surrounding counties.
The Baltimore City Fire Department received first calls for the fire at the Gold Bond Building Products warehouse in the 2300 block of South Newkirk Street around 10:42 a.m., Fire Chief James Wallace said at a press conference. The fire likely started from a mechanical failure involving a conveyor belt, he said, but the cause remains under investigation.
The large two-story warehouse in the Canton Industrial Area houses a manufacturer of drywalls, panels, boards and other building products. Gold Bond Building Products workers tried to extinguish the fire, Wallace said, but they had to evacuate once it got too big.
The fire escalated to a four-alarm by 11:02 a.m. Dozens of fire trucks and four fire boats responded to the scene.
Firefighters were also pumping water from the harbor to help augment the water supply, Wallace said. Fire officials asked for five additional engines above a four-alarm need, officials said.
Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties lent help to control the fire, Wallace said. The hazmat team and multiple law enforcement agencies were also on the scene, officials said.
There were no injuries, fire officials said, but people were asked to avoid the area. Parts of the nearby railway were shut down to extend fire hoses over the tracks.
This is the third major fire in the city in the past week, after fires in Hampden and Remington. Wallace said this weekās fires have taken a toll on the departmentās firefighters, many of whom will spend all day fighting this fire.
This article will be updated.
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