Massive Baltimore warehouse blaze disrupts Amtrak's Northeast Corridor train service

BALTIMORE -- Firefighters are still working to fully extinguish a warehouse fire in Baltimore that rose to seven alarms overnight and has disrupted train service along the busy corridor between New York and Washington, DC.

Train service in and out of Baltimore has been restored on one track, but delays of about 30 minutes are expected throughout the day along the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak said Tuesday.

As the fire jumped from four alarms to seven in the vacant multi-story warehouse filled with mattresses, the fire department made the decision not to send first responders in and instead fight the fire mostly from outside, Wallace said.

"I was very adamant I was not putting my people inside," he said. The chief noted that no injuries have been reported.

Officials are now concerned about the stability of the brick-and-mortar building, with multiple stories above and below ground and a large water tower on top, Wallace said. Building engineers are on site, working on an extensive demolition plan, he noted.

"It's going to take a lot of work, but it is something that we're addressing," Wallace said.

Crews were dispatched to the fire near the West Baltimore commuter rail station around 7 p.m. Monday, Wallace said.

Service on the commuter MARC Penn Line was restored late Tuesday morning, after being suspended due to the fire, but trains will be running on a Saturday schedule, the Maryland Department of Transportation said.

Amtrak stopped service late Monday from Baltimore to Washington and Wilmington, Delaware, after local officials placed a hold on all tracks in the western part of the city. The stoppage included trains going to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The fire department evacuated about 30 residents living near the warehouse, Wallace said, adding those residents are staying at hotel shelters thanks to help from the Red Cross and other local agencies.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, Wallace said, noting that a full investigation will be led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with help from the state fire marshal's office and city fire and police departments.

The warehouse's proximity to train tracks complicated firefighting efforts, Wallace said. Crews were working with Amtrak to shut down the power lines tied to those tracks before attacking the fire from that side, Wallace said.

The massive fire was giving off a "tremendous amount of smoke," making it hard to see into the warehouse, and it was burning in a residential area, which means water mains there have a limited capacity, the chief said.

"Our fire flows have exceeded a lot of what the water grid has," Wallace said, noting crews are having to bring in additional water apparatus.

Mayor Brandon Scott praised the first responders working on what has become an all hands-on-deck effort, he told reporters Tuesday.

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