BALTIMORE — A firefighter suffered minor injuries while battling a two-alarm fire which ripped through the Bayview Golf Center, a popular driving range and golf simulator in southeast Baltimore, on Sunday evening.
WATCH: Firefighter treated, released after Bayview Golf Center fire
"We were open for business, and I started hearing some hissing and popping, and I went to see what it was," Robert Prettyman, the facility's manager, told WMAR-2 News Sunday night.
Prettyman said he called the owner to try and fix a solar panel battery bank, but it erupted in flames. He attempted to extinguish the fire using three extinguishers, but the flames kept coming.
No customers or staff were injured during the incident. A Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson confirmed that one firefighter was treated for minor injuries and released.
"It was a pretty cool place to work, it was nice. Mr J, the owner, he was just down here. He said there's nothing that I could do. He said I tried my best to take care of it, but I'm glad nobody's hurt," Prettyman said.
The golf center is right next to Patterson High School, and I-95 is just down the road. It is on Lombard St, across from a container lot. Fire officials confirmed that no other structures in the area suffered damage.
Theresa Cavey, who lives in the nearby Eastwood neighborhood, witnessed the smoke rising from the fire.
"When I looked down the street, I saw all that smoke coming up. Then I heard a lot of fire engines and such, and I knew something was going on," Cavey said Monday.
Cavey recalled her son enjoying time at the golf facility, and expressed disappointment about the loss to WMAR-2 News.
"It's just a shame, because a lot of people appreciated it and went there," Cavey said.
Despite the destruction, Prettyman said the owner wants to rebuild the facility.
"I spoke to Mr J, he said he is going to rebuild it. So we'll be back," Prettyman said.
Fire officials, meantime, have not yet released an official cause of the Sunday fire.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
