3 firefighters rescued, 1 still trapped in Southwest Baltimore blaze, officials say
BALTIMORE — Three firefighters were seriously injured after being trapped in a vacant home on fire in Southwest Baltimore, according to the city fire department and the firefighters’ union.
Crews are still working to recover a fourth firefighter inside, according to Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams.
Around 6 a.m. Monday, firefighters arrived on the scene of a fire in the 200 block of South Stricker Street in the city’s New Southwest/Mount Clare neighborhood. While fighting the blaze, the three-story home partially collapsed and trapped the four firefighters inside, Niles Ford, the city fire chief, said in a tweet. One firefighter was rescued immediately, he said.
“Immediately & as quickly as possible, we removed piles of debris in order to located the trapped members,” Ford said.
Two other firefighters were rescued “within an hour” and taken to Maryland Shock Trauma, Ford said.
By about 11:45 a.m., the home had collapsed entirely, and firefighters had taken to the roof of a home next door as smoke wafted from the ruins. Then, crews began using an excavator to clear the debris of the destroyed home.
“My heart is with the firefighters, their families, and everyone at [the Baltimore Fire Department],” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement Monday afternoon. “Our BCFD members put the lives and safety of others before their own wellbeing each and every day. I ask that we all keep them in our prayers during this extremely difficult time.
Celeste Ireland, 55, said she was lying in bed in her home Monday morning when she began to see flashes of light. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but then her Shih Tzu began to bark and she arose and walked to her window.
“When I opened the curtain — and my house is right behind it — everything was ablaze,” Ireland said.
Her home is located behind the homes that caught fire, separated by an alley, she said.
The homes on fire appeared to be vacant, Ireland said. She saw the family that lived adjacent to the blaze be evacuated, she said.
Then, she heard that firefighters were trapped in the blaze.
“I’m a godly woman, and I just started praying,” she said.
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