BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Council members pressed leaders from Baltimore Gas and Electric, the Baltimore Department of Transportation and the Baltimore City Fire Department Tuesday over a series of underground fires that have repeatedly disrupted businesses on the 300 block of North Charles Street.
Three underground fires have struck the block in the past two years. One of them damaged Viva's Bookstore, which has since been rebuilt.
Investigators identified two causes: overcrowding of fiber optic and electrical cables underground, and a buildup of gases underground.
Baltimore City Council holds hearing on safety after underground fires
BGE and the Department of Transportation knew about the overcrowded cables on Charles Street before a second fire broke out in September 2024. At Tuesday's hearing, neither agency could explain why the problem was not fixed before another fire occurred.
Councilman Mark Conway, who represents District 4, said the hearing was about accountability and prevention.
"We want to make sure that not only that we understand what happened here, but to make sure that it never happens again that we have an agreement that makes sense making sure that that's addressed into the future," Conway said.
Three years ago, Baltimore signed an agreement with BGE to upgrade underground conduits, backed by $120 million in capital funding. However, it remains unclear whether that funding was directed toward North Charles Street and Baltimore Street.
Conway pressed the question of where the money went.
"The first thing that comes to mind
He also questioned whether the existing agreement delivered on its promises.
"An agreement was supposed to upgrade the conduit. It was supposed to make the conduit safer. It was supposed to make sure that we had better reliability," Conway said.
Eva Hodsdon of Charles Street Development said the repeated fires have compounded the already difficult reality of running a small business in the area.
"When you add in the uncertainty of I don't know if the ground beneath me is going to blow up, on top of the stress of running a small business, on top of what was already a tricky economic climate, how are they supposed to stay open," Hodsdon said.
Neighbor Chris Barr said the fires have taken a toll on foot traffic that small businesses depend on.
"These business rely on the traffic of you know walking by to people shocking to people coming in the shop and unfortunately there isn't a ton of traffic that comes by so I get worried if there's a fire and they have to close then they miss out on the times when there might be customers around," Barr said.
Barr also voiced concern about the pattern of recurring incidents.
"We've been seeing these fires happen time and time and time again and we want to ensure safety," Barr said.
Business owners on the block say they are weighing an impossible choice.
"Hearing that the small businesses deal with these types of challenges, how do you support that where it's do I go to work and risk my life or what feels like risking my life and keep my business open or do I close?" one business owner said.
Council members say they want to reach a new agreement with BGE by the end of the year, one that includes a revised funding model.
The Baltimore City Council has until July 4 to decide whether to renew and extend its agreement with BGE for underground conduit upgrades — or end the agreement entirely.
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