Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2017 Fires and Incidents»4-Alarms 320 N. Eutaw St. 1-14-17

On January 14, 2017 firefighters spent the better part of 24 hours battling a 4-alarm fire in an historic 115 year old vacant building in downtown Baltimore. It was built in 1901 and was known as the Gomprecht & Benesch Building. The company manufactured and sold furniture. In 1986 it was taken over by Maran Printing Services and in later years it became a night club known as “The Tunnel”. It eventually closed down in 2002 due to numerous violent incidents that it attracted which led to Zoning Regulation violations and its demise.
The six-story loft style building is 54’ wide x 136’ deep and sits among similar buildings in the 300 block North Eutaw Street. It has been vacant since it shut down in 2002. It was slated for auction in 2010 but nothing came of it.
Around 1840 hours on Saturday the 14th Fire Box 23-11 was dispatched for a building fire at 320 N. Eutaw St, just 3 blocks north of the Steadman Station. It was pouring down rain and sleet and first due Engine 23, along with Battalion Chief 6, arrived to find smoke showing in the front of the building. Battalion Chief 6 assumed Command and as companies began to open up fire was showing on the first and second floors through the heavy smoke. Units entered the first floor knocking the fire down and as they made their way to the second floor Battalion Chief 6 decided to pull the men out due to the heavy fire now showing on the second floor and heavy smoke showing on all floors as well as in the rear.
A working fire was sent out at 1853 followed by the second alarm at 1900 and third alarm at 1908. Companies continued to surround the building with ladder pipes and monitor pipes. Smoke began to come out of the adjacent structures and Command thought that the fire had gotten into these buildings also. A fourth alarm was struck out at 2007. There was fear of a building collapse so Command ordered all personnel out of the area in front of the fire building and set up a collapse zone around it.
Companies continued to pour water into the structure well into the early morning hours. The rain had let up around 0300 and the fire had finally broken through the roof at this point. Several more special calls were made throughout the night bringing more units and manpower to the scene.
Around daybreak on Sunday morning most of the fire was knocked down. The roof had collapsed into the top floors and fire was burning under the pile as well as pockets of fire burning in between the floors and ceilings throughout the building. When all of the crews were relieved by the next days shift, units remained on the scene throughout the whole day wetting down hot spots that flared up with ladder pipes and Water Tower 1.
The fire was placed under control around 1530, some 21 hours after it started. The last company didn’t leave the scene until after 1800 hours on Sunday evening.
No injuries were reported and Fire Investigation was combing the building to determine the cause. Around 0400 hours on Sunday there was a flare-up and it was quickly brought under control.