Fire burns out of control at vacant mattress warehouse in Baltimore

A stubborn fire at a warehouse in Baltimore had first responders stepping back for an exterior attack on the flames as they disrupted a major passenger rail line along the Mid-Atlantic coast.

The fire in west Baltimore was reported shortly before 7 p.m., and it quickly escalated in scale from 4-alarm, to 5-alarm, the Baltimore Fire Department said in a series of statements on social media. Fire Chief James W. Wallace later said the blaze had grown to 6-alarm status.

More than 200 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, Wallace said.

The department characterized the location as a vacant mattress warehouse with multiple stories. “At this time, the fire remains active and not under control,” it said.

No injuries have been reported.

The number of alarms correlates to a larger number of firefighters sent to a blaze. In all of 2021, the city said in a report on fire resources, the department responded to one each for third, fourth and fifth-alarm fires. No sixth-alarm or greater fires were reported.

Wallace said the fire department was told the building has two underground floors stacked with mattresses, which may be providing fuel. Three other floors are above ground, he said.

“What we’re dealing with now is a deep-seated subsurface fire,” the chief said during an impromptu news conference near the blaze. “What we’re trying to do is cut it off.”

NBC affiliate WBAL of Baltimore reported that the firefight was aided by water trucked to the location.

Video of the blaze aired on the station showed a red brick building with windows offering interior views of a glowing cauldron of orange-tinged flames.

Firefighters took defensive positions on the rooftops of nearby row houses, the station’s coverage showed.

“It’s such a smoky fire,” Wallace said earlier in the evening, during WBAL’s coverage. “We’re trying to approach this the right way, obviously safely.”

The warehouse is adjacent to a major passenger rail corridor between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and Amtrak said trains along the line will be paused until conditions improve.

“Crews are working diligently to ensure safety and restore service as soon as possible,” the rail service said in a statement.

Wallace expressed fear that some of the structure near train tracks could collapse as the flames continued to cook the old brick-and-mortar structure.

The fire was in the 130-year-old Midtown-Edmondson neighborhood on the west side of the city. The fire department requested that people avoid the area near Edmondson Avenue and Bantalou Street.

Citing Wallace, WBAL reported that some people in the area were being moved out, and that aid from the Red Cross — which often helps residents displaced by fire find temporary shelter — has been requested.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.