BALTIMORE — While cease and desist orders have been posted on the doors of several businesses along North Charles Street, some of those businesses have posted their own notices in response, informing their customers -- it's "not our fault."
"This is not nothing that we did. We're just here trying to make a living for ourselves. So we just need help,” Ikea Carter, owner of K Lafox House of Beauty, told WMAR-2 News.
Carter is one of the lucky ones on this block - whose business isn’t still shut down more than a week after an underground fire and manhole explosion.Several of her neighbors’ properties are condemned because of the damage and lack of power. Although Carter’s shop is open, customers can’t get to her very easily. The 300 block of North Charles Street is still shut down.
"People can't park on the street. People are canceling appointments. The foot traffic has slowed down because the street is blocked off," Carter said.
Carelle Mayberry, the manager at Luxury Nails & Spa a few doors down, is in the same boat.
"So I've been here a year and this is like the second or third time this has happened, and it's right in front of our location, so it affects business,” she told WMAR-2 News' Elizabeth Worthington.
Back in January, another underground fire led to manhole explosions on this same block. Mayberry says the road didn't reopen for a couple of months afterwards.
"I'm hoping they can come, get it done but fix it the right way this time so we're not in fear of this happening again or [while] any of us are at work. Thankfully, nobody has been injured or hurt but, it's scary because you never know when it might happen. I just want them to get it fixed so we don't have to worry about this anymore."
Similar incidents happened in the same area back in 2018. In February of that year, an underground electrical fire happened overnight on Charles St. near the intersection of Redwood St. Then, in September, a paramedic was injured after a transformer caught fire underground, causing at least four manholes to explode. That time, Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) told us the cause was an underground electric cable damaged by steam. The company said it was a city issue, not a BGE issue.
Nobody's taken responsibility for the problems this year so far.
The Department of Public Works says the issue is not under its jurisdiction.
The Baltimore City Fire Department says it's still under investigation. We spotted officials back at the scene Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesperson for BGE said:
“Like other users of the conduit system, BGE has major assets within the Baltimore City conduit system and is therefore committed to supporting any effort to identify the root cause of the recent manhole fires affecting Baltimore City’s conduit system. We believe that any investigation should involve all users of the conduit system, including BGE, to ensure a comprehensive understanding and investigation of possible causes and solutions.”
A spokesperson for Verizon said:
"Verizon's equipment was not significantly damaged by the recent fires and there was no impact to our customers. Due to the number of impacted parties, access to the site is available on a priority basis and we are actively working with the Baltimore DPW in making the necessary repairs."
A spokesperson for Comcast has not responded to our request for comment yet.
WMAR-2 News has learned the city is meeting next week about this issue with various agencies and companies that provide services underground in that area.
The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore (DPOB) and city officials hosted a meeting on Monday night with the community to hear their concerns. DPOB created a webpage with resources for residents and business owners, including immediate housing resources and relocation assistance through the Department of Housing and Community Development, and rental support for displaced residents from the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success.
In a statement to WMAR-2 News, DPOB president Shalonda Stokes said:
"Monday afternoon’s community meeting was designed to provide updates and create space to voice our neighbor's concerns and resource needs surrounding the Charles Street corridor underground fires. This ongoing situation is incredibly difficult for many residents and business owners, and we valued their meeting attendance, feedback, and engagement.
As a follow-up, Downtown Partnership is providing a centralized place to share updates and resources from the City, utility partners, and other supporting entities via this new resource page [godowntownbaltimore.com], which includes:
- Contact information for partners and city agencies available to address a wide range of needs and questions.
- Immediately available housing options near the impacted area.
- A form for residents and business owners to submit specific questions or concerns.
Downtown Partnership, the City of Baltimore, Charles Street Development, and our partners are united in working toward solutions that offer support and help restore confidence to those living, working, or traveling through such a historic part of our city."
There's no word on when these businesses will be able to reopen, or when North Charles Street will reopen.
There's a GoFundMe for Viva Books, one of the businesses that was heavily damaged after the fire.
