A lightning strike is believed to have ignited a four-alarm fire at a Curtis Bay warehouse Saturday evening as severe thunderstorms swept across Baltimore, capping a day of triple-digit heat with flooding, power outages and emergency calls.
More than half a dozen fire trucks responded to the blaze at the Sherwin-Williams warehouse at 1631 Filbert St. around 8 p.m., according to a post from the Baltimore City Fire Department. Ambulances were also on the scene.
Fire Department Chief James Wallace said no one was hurt in the fire. By 11:10 p.m., firefighters had gotten the blaze under control and prevented it from jumping to adjacent residences.
According to Wallace, it seems the fire started from a lightning strike. He said several residents saw and heard a bolt strike the warehouse.
As the fire grew, solvents and other paint materials caused mini explosions inside.
Several firefighters were being treated for extreme heat exposure, but otherwise Wallace reported no injuries.
Wallace said it was a difficult night. As the fire burned, the department received multiple calls of cars stuck in floods. Just as he came up for air on Filbert Street, another blaze was reported on Boston Street. He radioed to others on the scene to release a truck or two to head to Canton.
A district assistant chief said the wind could make the fire more difficult to put out. He said fireworks in the surrounding area could also add to the risk.
The Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management asked drivers and residents to avoid the area.
Black smoke billowed from the building. The shop is in a residential neighborhood that borders railways and the industrial area of Curtis Bay. Smoke could be smelled blocks away.
A resident of Hazel Street was watching plumes of thick smoke blow into the area a block away and said the fire may have affected houses next door to the shop.
Officers with the Baltimore Police Department closed off blocks around the scene and prohibited cars from driving through the area.
After a blistering hot and sunny day, skies darkened just before 7 p.m. as severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for the Baltimore area, Southern Maryland and areas just above the city. Heavy rains and high winds burst through Baltimore and its surrounding counties soon after the warnings were issued.
About 70,000 people were left without power as of Saturday night, according to the Baltimore Gas and Electric outage map. Most of those impacted were in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, the BGE map showed.
This article has been updated.
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