Baltimore firefighter dies and 4 others are injured battling rowhouse fire | CityNews Calgary
A quickly intensifying blaze that engulfed a number of rowhouses in northwest Baltimore late Thursday afternoon left one firefighter lifeless and 4 others injured, metropolis officers stated.
The injured firefighters sustained various levels of burns and are receiving medical therapy, officers stated at a news convention Thursday night time outdoors Baltimore’s Shock Trauma Center on the University of Maryland Medical System.
The Baltimore Fire Department has confronted rising controversy in current months over its insurance policies and coaching after three firefighters died whereas battling a vacant rowhouse fireplace early final yr. Local officers known as for extra oversight of the company and the division’s earlier chief resigned amid the turmoil.
James Wallace, who was sworn in earlier this month as Baltimore’s new fireplace chief, stated the blaze “appeared to rapidly grow in intensity” not lengthy after firefighters arrived on scene.
“Tonight, it is with a heavy heart that I must announce one member has tragically perished as a result of his injuries,” he stated, declining to launch the firefighter’s title pending subsequent of kin notification.
The two-alarm fireplace broke out simply earlier than 4 p.m., officers stated. Footage from native tv stations confirmed a number of rowhouses engulfed in flames, with components of the buildings collapsing and black smoke billowing from their home windows and roofs.
No civilian accidents have been reported and the reason for the hearth stays below investigation.
Wallace stated at the least one of many buildings concerned gave the impression to be occupied. He stated investigators haven’t decided why the hearth intensified so rapidly.
“What I can tell you is, we attacked this fire like we attack many fires,” he stated.
Hours earlier than officers publicly confirmed the firefighter’s demise, dozens of first responders gathered outdoors the Baltimore hospital for a salute. Many later accompanied a Baltimore Fire Department ambulance in a sluggish procession by means of downtown.
“Firefighters are our living superheroes, and we don’t expect to lose them,” Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby stated throughout the news convention. “It’s a reminder of what firefighters do on a regular basis to protect and serve our city.”
The January 2022 fireplace that killed three firefighters prompted elevated scrutiny of Baltimore’s fireplace division, which frequently is tasked with responding to treacherous situations when flames escape within the metropolis’s many vacant buildings.
A report launched months later pointed to quite a few deficiencies that would have positioned firefighters in pointless hazard when the three-story brick constructing collapsed. Among different points, it discovered there was no program in place to inform firefighters about vacant and unsafe buildings earlier than they made entry.
Lea Skene, The Associated Press
