Firefighters Investigate 3-Alarm Warehouse Fire In Canton
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A three-alarm fire at a Canton warehouse forces people from their homes and cuts off power to thousands.
Monique Griego has more on the aftermath.
It took firefighters several hours to get the fire under control. While evacuated residents were allowed back into their homes Sunday night, the cleanup is going to take a lot longer.
Around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, massive flames filled the sky over Canton after a three-alarm fire broke out at a warehouse in the 1200-block of Baylis Street.
"It was just flames everywhere. It was escalating. It went through the whole building. It was epic alright," said Brandon Hovermill, witness.
Nearly a hundred firefighters were called in to battle the flames. As they worked to get things under control, heavy smoke forced 60 residents to evacuate their homes.
"I was worried something was going to blow up or something," Hovermill said.
Around 1,500 homes also lost power thanks to torched power lines and a blown transformer.
Fire crews were also concerned with what was inside the warehouse, which is owned by the Eastern Plating Company.
"It's our understanding that this warehouse makes plates and due to that, the chemicals that they use on a daily basis are hazardous," said Capt. Roman Clark, Baltimore City Fire Department. "So, we have at this time taken all precautionary measures in evacuating some of the homes in the direction in which the wind was blowing, and blowing the embers and the smoke."
It would take firefighters more than three hours to finally get the upper hand on the flames.
It's easy to see just how much damage was caused to the warehouse. The entire roof of the front portion collapsed and firefighters spent most of the morning putting out hotspots trapped inside the debris.
Hazmat teams and the Maryland Department of Environment will now team up to evaluate any hazardous chemicals left behind.
As for neighbors, they're praising the fire department that stopped flames from spreading to nearby homes.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Firefighters say a building inspector is also heading to the site to determine when demolition can begin on the building.
