Wind-driven brushfire at Baltimore wood recycling yard closes expressway, light rail, schools

ANALYSIS:

BALTIMORE (AP) — Firefighters were battling a massive, wind-driven brushfire at a Baltimore wood recycling yard that closed a section of the expressway into the city’s downtown, the neighboring light rail line and nearby roads and schools on Friday morning.

Crews were called to the Camp Small yard, where large trees and logs are stacked about 30 feet (about nine meters) high, after 5 p.m. Thursday, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said at a briefing.

“When they got here, they discovered a rapidly evolving fire that was in a large pile of trees and logs in a large area,” Wallace said. “This stage is just that, lots of trees, logs, stumps and things like that.”

About 100 to 125 firefighters were battling the fire. Wallace said it was a challenge because the flames were fueled by high winds. He said firefighters planned to use heavy equipment to cut a ring around the fire once they had more control.

“It’s very, very difficult for us to get out ahead of it,” Wallace said.

Firefighters gained the upper hand Thursday night, and on Friday morning the fire was contained.

Air quality in parts of the city were in the moderate range on Friday morning because of smoke from the fire. People sensitive to air pollution should consider avoiding outdoor activities, the Maryland Department of the Environment said in a social media post.

Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman John Marsh said the smoke was dying down, allowing officials to reopen Interstate 83, which runs from downtown Baltimore to areas north of the city. Officials announced before 9 a.m. that the northbound and southbound lanes had reopened.

Two nearby high schools were closed Friday, Mayor Brandon Scott said at a briefing. And fireworks were canceled at an annual holiday celebration in downtown Baltimore on Friday evening.

Marsh said no injuries had been reported even as crews spent all night working to battle the fire, which grew rapidly because of weather conditions and the enormous concentration of dry wood.

The recycling yard is filled with logs, branches and other tree waste that city crews remove from Baltimore streets, sidewalks and parks. Much of the wood is later turned into lumber and mulch or sold to local builders.

“It was the largest bonfire I’ve ever seen in my life,” Marsh said.

He said the cause remains under investigation. Officials haven’t provided a timeline for when the fire could be fully extinguished.