2023-10-30 23:34:00
BALTIMORE – Nearly 100 firefighters battled a massive three-alarm fire at an abandoned Victorian mansion Monday evening in West Baltimore.
Crews responded around 5:30 p.m. to the area of the 5000 block of Old Frederick Road where they saw the old structure fully engulfed in flames.
The mansion, built in 1920, is owned by the City of Baltimore, according to data from Open Baltimore.
Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Cartwright said windy conditions presented a challenge in extinguishing the blaze.
Cristina Mendez has the latest on a massive fire in West Baltimore
No firefighters went inside the mansion. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters used a ladder 100 feet in the air to attack the fire from above. Water supplies were established placing hand lines, monitor pipes and master streams in service to extinguish the fire.
“This is an old, old vacant structure,” Cartwright said. “It certainly wouldn’t be safe to gain entry so we are doing exterior operations.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The bulk of the flames are no longer visible — now a wall of smoke @wjz
Baltimore City Fire confirms 100 firefighters are on the ground working this operation from the outside of the structure only. No injuries to first responders. Wind is a factor, added intensity to fire pic.twitter.com/hAOjriIkAA
— Cristina Mendez (@CrisMendezTV) October 30, 2023
“Due to the size of the structure, due to the intensity of the fire, it’s impossible for us to have any sense where this fire started,” Cartwright said. “There has been some interior collapse that we have observed and heard. Once it is safe to do so, our fire investigators will go in and make some preliminary assessments into what may have caused this fire.”
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