Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2011 Fires and Incidents»3-Alarm 4111 W. Belvedere Ave. 9-26-11

There was no missing this rush hour fire in northwest Baltimore as heavy black smoke bellowed into the sky and blanketed the area. At around 4:00 PM Fire Communications began receiving numerous calls reporting a building fire in the 4100 block West Belvedere Avenue. When Engine 46 arrived they found heavy smoke and fire coming from a two-story auto repair garage and tire storage warehouse. At 4:02 they requested a working fire. When Battalion Chief 5 arrived shortly after that he asked for a second alarm due to the condition of the buildings and the fire load involved.
A safety zone was established and exterior operations were set up and the second alarm was dispatched at 4:09. Crews used ladder pipes, master streams and deck guns to attack the raging fire.
Fire began to break through the roof as it took hold of the original 2-story building that housed tires as well as the 1-story garage portion and the other connected 2-story storage building. A third alarm was struck out at 5:04.
When firefighters first arrived on the scene they found and treated a person with burned arms and hands. The next day Arson Investigators determined that this person was involved in the setting of the fire. A 35 year old employee apparently had gotten into a verbal argument with another worker over a borrowed paint brush. It escalated into him flicking a lighter at the other employee and igniting a container of a flammable tar substance. Police arrested him on a long list of charges including first degree arson.
The fire was right next to a Hess gas station on the corner. And as a precaution all pumps were shut down and employees and customers were evacuated. However there was never any immediate danger to the gas station. On the other side the Light Rail Line runs and there was no interruption to service.
Cracks appeared in the side wall of the original building and firefighters were kept back in case of a collapse.
More than 100 firefighters and 30 companies battled the blaze into the early morning hours. Baltimore and Anne Arundel companies filled in to cover many areas of the City.
After the fire was placed under control the building was condemned and was torn down. By the next morning only one wall was left standing and front end loaders were loading up the burnt tires and debris into trucks to be carted away.
The Belvedere Tire Company had been in business for over 50 years. Within one week of the fire the building and all of its contents were gone. The owner is back in business selling tires from a vacant lot across the street from his original place.