BALTIMORE — Crews continued assessing damage Wednesday from a massive five-alarm fire that tore through several vacant buildings in downtown Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire affected several buildings at intersection of Howard and Fayette streets just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, causing one to collapse. It forced the closure of busy roadways and disrupting Light Rail service. No injuries were reported.
Watch as residents in the area react to yesterday's fire
"What I was thinking is, I hope nobody's hurt," said Jimmie Thomas, who operates MRI Studios Baltimore across from the fire scene.
Thomas was working with a student at his media studio when the fire broke out Tuesday.
"We saw maybe about four firetrucks out here, smoke coming up from the building back there, that building, and the fire, it was crazy," Thomas said.
On Wednesday, a Baltimore Fire Department spokesman said building inspectors evaluated the scene for the investigation and for potential demolition. Baltimore police maintained a presence at the site, including members of the arson team and its helicopter.
Fire crews were still dousing the buildings with water at midday Wednesday.
Public records show Baltimore City owns buildings on the block, several of which are vacant.
In Focus look at the vacant buildings around Baltimore
The fire forced traffic on Fayette Street to be redirected and disrupted Light Rail service. Bus service filled the gap for light rail commuters between North Avenue and Camden Station.
Mayor Brandon Scott said the Light Rail expects to reopen by Thursday.
At his weekly Wednesday morning news conference, Scott addressed the city's ongoing efforts to eliminate vacant properties.
"We're going to eliminate vacant properties in Baltimore over a 15-year span, but the now 12,000-and-something that we have today are the fewest that we've had in two decades," Scott said.
Scott re-emphasized the city's commitment to reducing vacant buildings, a process that requires significant time and resources.
"We know that we have our vacant plan and the plan is the plan. It has vacants at a historic low in the city of Baltimore. We're gonna continue that partnership that we have with the city, with the private community, with the actual community, with the state of Maryland to continue to drive down vacants," Scott said.
Despite the destruction, Thomas noted the resilience of the area, particularly in a part of Baltimore where art thrives.
"As you look at the fire and stuff one thing I was noticing as I was looking out my door is - the art from the artists is still up there. It's still standing, which is really, the city's a resilient city, right?" Thomas said.
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