Home»All Photographs»Fire Scenes & Incidents»Baltimore City, Md.»2020»8/10/2020 3rd Alarm + Collapse Rescue - Multiple Dwellings Explode, 4200-blk Labyrinth Rd, Fallstaff

At approximately 9:45-hours on Monday morning August 10, northwest Baltimore City fire companies were dispatched for a reported dwelling fire with explosion at the 4200-block of Labyrinth Rd in the Fallstaff neighborhood adjacent to Reisterstown Road Plaza in Northwest Baltimore. The first arriving companies on scene from the Hilltop and Mount Washington stations reported a massive explosion had just occurred involving three brick rowhouses with smoke showing from a large pile of rubble. Several people were reported trapped, and multiple rescues were quickly made. A 2nd alarm was immediately dispatched, plus several additional ambulance, medics and EMS units to treat the injured victims (some of them children) and transport them to local area hospitals. A short while later one female victim unfortunately was pronounced dead on the scene. Another victim was still reported missing and trapped underneath the debris. As a result, the Special Operations Command team and Baltimore County Pikesville Squad 322 were special called to the scene. As temperatures were climbing into the 90s by 1100-hours a 3rd alarm from Baltimore County was dispatched to scene for rotating manpower. Many teams from both Baltimore City and County Police as well as nearly 10 other agencies, including the Red Cross, were called to the scene to take care of people in the community who have been displaced due to their homes being shattered from the explosion and too unsafe to enter back inside. Crews continued working hard into the afternoon and late evening hours searching for the missing victim. It was not until just shy of 100-hours the following morning of Tuesday August 11 when crews located a second victim (male) deceased. A total of seven other victims are currently hospitalized in critical condition. Neighbors and other surrounding communities say they could feel the explosion from miles away. Fire and police investigators are currently working hard to determine the cause of this incident.