Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2011 Fires and Incidents»Building Collapse Light & Ostend Sts. 9-14-11

At around 6:00 PM on September 14, 2011 Fire Communications began receiving calls for a building collapse at Light and Ostend Streets in South Baltimore. These were vacant buildings and homeless people were known to hang out in them. Engine 2, Truck 6, Rescue 1 and Battalion Chief 6 were dispatched and when they arrived on the scene they found two structures collapsed in the center section from the third floor to the ground.
They set up a safety zone and began an initial search for possible victims. Shortly thereafter the Special Rescue Operations Team was dispatched with additional manpower and specialized equipment for searching.
As a result of the collapse a gas leak was detected and BGE was called to the scene to locate and stop the leak.
The SRO Team probed through the void spaces with special infrared cameras and listening devices. At 6:24 PM Engine 26, Truck 1 and the Shift Commander were dispatched to provide additional manpower to search the adjacent structures for possible victims and check the structural integrity of the other connected buildings.
After several hours no one was found and Public Works was sent to the scene to clear the debris and tear down the remaining part of the structure. They remained on the scene until the following morning.
The collapse could have been the result of the recent earthquake combined with several heavy rains and the hurricane that passed through the area. These buildings were built in the early 1920’s and had been vacant for a few years.
No one was found and there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.