Fires in E. Baltimore damage multiple homes, displacing several families
Several families were left wondering about the fate of their homes after a pair of multiple-alarm fires burned in East Baltimore within a short time of each other Thursday afternoon.
The first fire began on the 400 block of N. Clinton St. just before 3 p.m.
It began on the second floor of one rowhouse and spread to the houses on either side, according to Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Skinner. The fire was confined to the roof of the structures, two of which were occupied and one was vacant.
Firefighters had the fire under control within 30 minutes.
“They actually worked pretty quickly to extinguish the blaze,” Skinner said.
But city firefighters soon had more work to do.
At 4 p.m., a new fire ignited on the 500 block of N. Lakewood Ave. and spread to four occupied rowhouses, Skinner said. First-responders were still on the scene at Clinton Street when other units arrived at the second fire.
At one point, embers from that fire sparked a new, smaller blaze, on a house in the next block.
Firefighters quickly subdued that, but remained on the scene spraying water at 5 p.m.
Although the day was breezy, Skinner said wind was not an issue in putting out the fires. She said the cause of both fires was under investigation.
No injuries were reported in either fire. It was unclear Thursday evening whether any of the houses would be condemned.
The Red Cross said 21 people were affected by the first incident and 25 were affected by the Lakewood Avenue fire. Staff and volunteers were on hand Thursday to distribute debit cards to those affected by the fires, to help cover immediate expenses.
Several of the residents affected Thursday were Latino families, some of whom struggled to communicate in a language they didn’t understand.
James Herbert, a spokesman for the Red Cross, said that Spanish-speaking interpreters would be available today to meet with families.
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