Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2017 Fires and Incidents»3-Alarms 510 S. Monroe St. 4-21-17

Around 0330 Third Battalion companies responded to a reported building fire at Monroe and Eagle Streets in southwest Baltimore. The building is the former Royal Furniture Company, a 3-story trapezoid shaped brick warehouse, measuring 100’ X 175’ X 225’ X 250’ that has been sitting vacant since 1997. There are no exposures on three sides and the rear side backs up to row houses separated by a narrow alley on the Wilkens Avenue side.
Units arrived and found heavy smoke and fire coming from several boarded up windows and doors on the first floor of the Monroe Street side. Due to the size of the building and interior timber construction, and the heavy smoke and fire conditions exterior operations were started right away. Battalion Chief 3 called for the working fire on arrival and the second and third alarms within 15 minutes. Ladder pipes were set up on all four sides as a precaution as monitor pipes and large caliber hand lines began to attack the fire. Companies made a very quick knock on all of the visible fire and were able to enter the building within 45 minutes to check for any extending fire. Most of the fire seemed to be contained to the first floor of the front side of the building.
Companies opened up the boarded windows and doors on all four sides and found minimal extension past the first floor. No fire extension was found throughout the rest of the building and the fire was placed under control around 0730.
Had the fire gained headway throughout the building it would have been quite spectacular due to the size and location of the structure. No injuries were reported and FIB was on the scene to investigate the cause.