Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2018 Fires and Incidents»4-Alarms 418 S. Broadway 9-7-18

On September 7, 2018 a massive 4-alarm fire consumed a business that has been a Baltimore landmark since 1868. Budeke’s Paints has been a fixture in the Fells Point community and has been in the same location for the last 150 years. The company has been a family owned business for 5 generations. Over the years the company expanded and eventually took over the properties of 6 buildings in the 400 block of S. Broadway and into the 1600 block of Eastern Avenue that includes a former church and a 3-story warehouse.
Fire Box 5-71 was sounded at 0223 hours. When units arrived they encountered a 3-story brick building with heavy smoke and fire showing from the top floors. Battalion Chief 1 arrived and took Command and requested a working fire assignment and the full second alarm at 0231 hours. When the first companies arrived they gained entry into the first floor and began knocking down the fire there that they encountered. With the large inventory of paint and other flammables stored there and the heavy fire conditions above them Command ordered the evacuation and exterior operations were set up. Access in the rear was limited and ladder pipes were set up in an adjacent parking lot to cover the buildings.
Around 0300 the roof of the main building fell in as the fire was moving down the block traveling through the connected buildings. Command then ordered the third alarm as the fire was gaining hold of the former 3-story church building. The fire eventually consumed the roof of the old church. In the next hour Command requested several special calls to supplement the water supply and manpower. Companies continued to pour water into the buildings for the next hour until the fire finally made its way into the last 3-story building of the complex on Eastern Avenue. Heavy smoke started pouring from the third floor and a fourth alarm was struck out for more companies to handle this building. As the fire intensified and smoke conditions permeated the neighborhood 50 residents were evacuated from a nearby condominium as a precaution.
At the height of the blaze 8 ladder pipes and a water tower were in operation. As daylight broke most of the visible fire was knocked down and only smoke was visible as master streams continued to pour water into the hidden pockets of fire throughout the six buildings. About 125 firefighters with 35 pieces of equipment were on the scene. The fire was placed under control at 1115 and units remained on the scene throughout the day monitoring and chasing down hot spots. There were no injuries reported. There was only minimal damage to the two adjacent businesses. Fire Investigation is still searching for the cause of the fire.