A 10-story office building on Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie was evacuated Thursday afternoon after “structural integrity issues” were discovered in its underground parking area, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said.
No injuries have been reported at Empire Towers, and there has been “no collapse of the building,” the department said on social media.
Crain Highway is shut down between Eighth Avenue and Georgia Avenue, the county police department said, as crews respond to the incident.
Fire Capt. Jenny Macallair, a department spokesperson, said about 100 people were evacuated. She said the concerns were related to work in the building’s garage.
A structural engineer will evaluate the building to determine whether it is safe to reenter, Macallair said.
County Executive Steuart Pittman praised the fire department and the county’s inspection and permits team in a post on social media.
“Thanks to the quick action of our first responders, all occupants were safely evacuated, and no injuries have been reported,” Pittman said.
County officials will monitor the situation and provide updates when they’re available, Pittman said.
The property was last sold in 2013 for $2.875 million to Sawhney Commercial LLC, which shares an address with the building, according to state property records. The tower was built in 1975.
Gary Bonney, who works for the building’s property management company, said there will be no vehicles coming in or out of the building “for the next few days.” He said he expects an engineer to inspect the building Friday.
It’s home to an American Red Cross blood donation center, a law group and other businesses.
Empire Towers was the tallest building in Anne Arundel County until 2009. The Live! Hotel building at Arundel Mills is now the tallest building in the county.
This article has been updated.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.