BALTIMORE — An early morning fire closed off several streets in downtown Baltimore Friday.
The Baltimore City Fire Department says they responded to reports of a basement fire in the women's shelter of Christ Lutheran Church around 4 a.m. The building in the 700 block of S. Charles Street was occupied with 17 people at the time and had to be evacuated.
Crews on the scene quickly identified a fire in the utility room. According to the fire department, there were reports of a manhole explosion nearby.
The following streets are currently closed off:
- 600-700 block of S. Charles Street & Light Street
- Unit block of East Conway Street & Montgomery Street.
Surrounding buildings are sheltering in place to ensure safety. There are no reported injuries at this time and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Gas has also been turned off, impacting approximately 300 customers.
Our team is monitoring the situation and will provide updates as we get them.
