Massive Woodberry fire impacts I-83 and Cold Spring Lane

UPDATE: Friday - Noon:

City officials provided a Friday afternoon update on a massive fire burning in North Baltimore's Woodberry community.

It started around 5pm Thursday at Camp Small, a wood waste collection yard.

As of 8:15 Friday morning, both lanes of the JFX between Northern Parkway and Druid Park Lake Drive are open.

The ramp from southbound I-83 to Cold Spring Lane remains closed, as is traffic on Coldspring between Greenspring Avenue and Falls Road.

Light Rail continues to be out of service from North Avenue to Falls Road. Buses are in place to help out, but LocalLink 28 is being detoured.

Medfield Elementary School dismissed early at noon Friday, due to air quality concerns. The Maryland Zoo was also forced to close to the public.

"Due to the extremely cold temperatures, most animals were scheduled to be inside their barns today and the wind direction is sending smoke from the fire away from the Zoo, so animal health is not jeopardized," the Zoo said in a press release.

So far there's been no infrastructure damage or injuries reported.

The exact cause remains under investigation, however, officials believe it's mainly wind driven.

All lanes roads and ramps on Coldspring Lane are now open. This includes northbound and southbound I-83 and the Coldspring Lane Ramps.

Watch the latest update below.

UPDATE: Friday - 8:17 a.m. :

Good Morning Maryland anchor Randall Newsome was live at the scene Friday morning, where fire crews dealt with a broken water line.

You can watch his report below.

UPDATE Friday - 7:55 a.m. :

Kristy Breslin reports that the northbound lanes of the JFX are now reopen. Southbound lanes remain closed.

UPDATE: Friday - 5:30 a.m. :

The fire is impacting the Friday morning commute. According to CHART, here are the road closures on the JFX:

I-83 Northbound is closed between Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane
I-83 Southbound is closed between Northern Parkway and Cold Spring Lane

Authorities say approximately around 5:10 PM on Thursday, a Baltimore Recreation and Parks employee at Camp Small, saw a small fire on the property.

The employee called 911 and Baltimore City Fire Department quickly arrived.

The wind combined with the amount of wood in a small area quickly magnified the fire.

Baltimore City Fire focused its efforts on protecting the surrounding area and containing the fire.

12 engine companies are on-site and over 100 firefighters on the scene, including crews from surrounding counties and the state of Maryland.

As of 11:30 pm Thursday the fire was listed as a 3-alarm fire. Several surrounding jurisdictions have offered mutual aid along with multiple city agencies are offering assistance.

There are no reported injuries and evacuations are not expected to be necessary. At this time there is no anticipated timeline for a resolution.

Most important information for Baltimoreans:

• Coldspring Lane between the I-83 on-ramps and The Woodberry apartment building has been shut down to traffic. 
• In addition to Coldspring Lane, Northbound and Southbound I-83 is closed from the Northern Parkway Exit to Druid Park Lake Drive until further notice. 
• The Light Rail has been shut down between North Ave and Falls Rd. MTA is offering shuttle service between the stops. 
• Poly-Western will be closed on Friday December 6, 2024.
• Commuters should anticipate heavy traffic and road closures to continue through the night and into the morning rush hour in the area around the fire.

WMAR

Original Article:

WMAR

There is a large active brush fire in the Woodberry area. Baltimore firefighters are on the scene working to contain it.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. No injuries reported at this time.

Light rail service has been suspended between Falls Road and North Avenue.

Three lanes are closed I-83 South at the 9A exit of West Cold Spring Lane.

This story will be updated as more information is made available.