BGE Crews Demolish Old Gas Storage Tank In Northwest Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A BGE blast and implosion wakes up a Northwest Baltimore neighborhood Sunday morning. The implosion was planned.

Gigi Barnett explains the implosion will help BGE update its system.

Not many Northwest Baltimore neighbors saw this implosion of a BGE gas tower around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

But most of them heard it for sure.

"It was like boom, boom, boom," one neighbor said.

For years, drivers have seen the tank from I-83 near the Cold Spring exit. Now, it's gone for good.

"That tower has been there since I was a kid. I mean it's been there for many, many years," one Baltimorean said.

It's been there for 80 years to be exact.

Some neighbors like Michele Clay, recorded the implosion for themselves.

"It just toppled slightly towards the right and came straight down. Very cool. Actually I've never been that close to it," Clay said.

BGE says it was time to get rid of the old gas tank. Just sitting around empty for years, it was costing the company.

"It's very expensive for the upkeep of the building, and so in essence it's just a building that isn't being used that we're putting money in to," said Rachael Lighty, BGE spokeswoman.

BGE says it coordinated with the police and fire departments and even sent notices to neighbors. The company says it didn't want the blast to take anyone by surprise.

Friends Deana Fritz and Jennifer Magnesi didn't hear a thing. They slept through the blast.

There's a good reason why.

"We went to two birthday parties. So we missed out, definitely missed out," Magnesi said.

BGE says upgrades to the regional natural gas system back in the late '90s made the tank obsolete.

The tank had been out of use since 1997.

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