BALTIMORE (AP) — Several hours following firefighters extinguished a fire at a warehouse in southwest Baltimore early Sunday, the scene was eerily quiet as Donte Craig walked through the charred rubble, trying to keep hope alive.
He was looking for his older brother James Craig Jr., who was renting the warehouse for his demolition and haulage business. After hearing regarding the fire, which was reported around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, family members grew increasingly concerned throughout the night because James Craig Jr. was not returning calls or calls. texts.
Finally, his brother went to the scene late Sunday morning.
Inside the building, he found his brother lying unresponsive on the second floor. James Craig Jr., 45, was later pronounced dead and Baltimore police have launched a homicide investigation.
As the investigation unfolds, family members demand answers. They want to know how firefighters initially didn’t realize the building was occupied.
Their questions add to growing controversy surrounding the Baltimore Fire Department and its policies, which have come under intense scrutiny following three firefighters died in response to a call earlier this year. The chief resigned last week in response to an investigative report that revealed numerous shortcomings.
In response to questions regarding the warehouse fire, officials said they had no reason to believe anyone was inside the two-story commercial building. They also said the building was ultimately deemed structurally unsafe for firefighters to enter.
But the Craig family said there were signs of occupancy, including around half a dozen dogs spending the night in an adjacent paddock. First responders took the dogs to an animal shelter, according to family members.
James Craig Jr. used the first floor of the warehouse as a workshop, but he also had a bedroom upstairs where he sometimes stayed following working late hours. He collapsed near the top of the stairs, according to his brother.
“He was trying to get out,” Donte Craig said in an interview at the scene Tuesday followingnoon.
He gestured to the stairs leading to the second floor. While parts of the building were badly damaged by the flames – including sections of the walls and floors that were reduced to charcoal and ashes – the metal staircase remained intact.
Donte Craig said he easily climbed the stairs on Sunday morning and spotted his brother’s body before reaching the top. He wondered why the firefighters hadn’t made a similar effort.
“They have a lot of accountability,” said Father James Craig Sr. “Why mightn’t they go up a flight of stairs? Maybe my son might still be alive.
The criticism comes amid existing turmoil for the Baltimore Fire Department. Chief Niles Ford, who had led the department since 2014, resigned last week following an investigative report revealed numerous shortcomings. The report examined the department’s response to a fire at a townhouse in southwest Baltimore that left three firefighters dead.
Among the survey’s findings: There was no program to notify firefighters of vacant and unsafe homes or standard procedures for fighting fires and coordinating EMS responses to vacant buildings. The report also cited a culture of competition among firefighters that may have led to increased risk taking.
In this case, there were signs of a previous fire and structural instability, but firefighters entered the building anyway, officials said.
The high concentration of vacant buildings in Baltimore presents a unique hazard to firefighters. A Baltimore Sun survey showed vacant homes in Baltimore were burning twice as fast as the national rate, but shortcomings in record keeping limited what firefighters know before heading inside.
At the scene of the recent warehouse fire, firefighters first entered the building and “performed interior operations to combat the fire,” department spokesman Blair Adams said. But then the incident commander and security officer discovered “some visual signs of structural instability” and ordered an immediate evacuation. At that time, firefighters fought the fire from the outside.
The fire was brought under control around 1 a.m. Sunday, officials said.
“There was no reason to believe anyone was inside,” Adams said in a text message Tuesday.
She said firefighters responded to the scene once more on Sunday following the body was found. Baltimore Police Homicide and Arson Units also responded. Officials said the cause is still under investigation.
James Craig Sr. said he was unhappy with the city’s response.
“I get assumptions; I’m not getting any facts,” he said Tuesday followingnoon in a phone conversation with a homicide detective assigned to the case. “You have to remember the reality is that I lost my son. This is the reality of it all.
Lea Skene, l’Associated Press