BALTIMORE — Fire investigators believe a 4-alarm fire Friday morning began in a vacant property that was potentially occupied by squatters, and quickly spread to neighboring buildings due to the wind.
“Preliminary findings suggest that unauthorized individuals may have been present in the structure before the fire broke out. Our investigators, in coordination with local authorities, are working diligently to determine the exact circumstances and whether any criminal activity played a role," Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said in a release Monday afternoon.
More than 100 emergency responders came to the scene of the 2200 block of North Penn Avenue, the damage so extensive the entire structure was demolished.
IN FOCUS: Baltimore vacant numbers
The property was a mix of occupied, vacant and "Code x" dwellings, or buildings so structurally unsound firefighters are not cleared to enter.
Eight were displaced and no injuries were reported.
"I lost everything now," Zaid Albarmatli, the owner of Famous Food Mart, said.
The Baltimore City Housing Development reports that there are currently 12,899 vacant properties, down from 16,520 reported in 2016.
"It happens all the time, every day, multiple times a day," IAFF Local 734 union president Matthew Coster explained when asked about fires in vacant properties.
Not only do these unoccupied buildings pose safety risks, but Coster says putting out fires in these properties is a drain on resources.
"We're not here to fight fire in vacants. We're here to save lives and property. If the property's not worth anything, then what's risking our lives to save it?" he said.
Efforts are being made to address the problem but he worries it's not happening fast enough.
"If they could rehab it and get the city population to grow that would be amazing, but that takes a lot of time, and money," he said.
Coster points to Detroit, which he says has gotten the issue under control by taking a proactive demolition approach.
According to public data, the Midwest city has demolished 7,488 structures since 2021as part of its "Blight to Beauty" project, versus Baltimore's 3,743 since 2016.
Neighbors are asked to report unlawful entry of vacant buildings to 311.
