Baltimore police investigating possible hate crime after homes burn across from torched Pride flag
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Officials in Baltimore are investigating the origins of two fires set early Wednesday morning.
One of the fires engulfed four row houses in flames, injuring three. The other, which took place across the street from the burned homes, involved an LGBTQ+ Pride flag that was briefly set ablaze.
As of Thursday, officials had not determined whether the house fire was a hate crime.
Officials in Baltimore are investigating a possible hate crime after multiple row houses caught fire early Wednesday, injuring three. Across the street, a Pride flag was also set ablaze, although that fire was quickly extinguished and no related injuries were reported.
Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) and Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to two fires in the city’s Waverly neighborhood at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, finding four homes engulfed in flames upon arrival, officials said. Three people, a 74-year-old man, a 57-year-old man and 30-year-old woman, were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.
As of Thursday, both the younger victims had been released, NBC News reported, citing information from a spokesperson for Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott.
Scott in a statement on Wednesday called the incident “horrific” and suggested the two fires could be related and possibly motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ hate.
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“At this point, we cannot confirm that this was a hate crime,” Scott said. “However, my agencies will bring every appropriate resource to bear to get to the bottom of this tragic event. Regardless, I continue to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community.”
Baltimore Fire Chief Niles Ford and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison have been briefed on the two fires and have spoken with residents in the area, Scott’s office said.
“It is completely unacceptable that there are now lives at risk and homes destroyed due to the actions of persons who have no regard for the lives and property of others,” Harrison said Wednesday. “While we are still working to determine the details and motives for these incidents, I want to say that the BPD, the City and our communities will not tolerate any criminal behavior of any sort, let alone actions that may stem from hatred, bias and other bigoted attacks.”
Several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are assisting city officials in investigating the fire’s origin, conducting interviews and canvassing the surrounding area for further information and video footage.
The incident comes as anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech has ramped up online and legislation that targets LGBTQ+ people advances through state legislatures across the country. Thirty-one members of the Patriot Front, an extremist white supremacist group, were arrested over the weekend and charged with conspiracy to riot at a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
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