BALTIMORE — An explosion at a Baltimore high-rise building injured at least 23 people Wednesday and left two window washers briefly trapped on scaffolding that dangled 10 stories above the sidewalk, multiple media outlets reported.
Spokeswoman Blair Adams said during a news conference that the Baltimore City Fire Department responded to the blast at the 16-story Baltimore Gas & Electric offices at around 8:30 a.m. and that the explosion caused a partial roof collapse, The Baltimore Sun reported.
💥2ND ALARM HI RISE FIRE W/ RESCUE💥
— Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 (@BCFDL734) December 23, 2020
39 W Lexington St 21201#DowntownBaltimore @DowntownBalt@CouncilmanETC
2nd alarm was called to help fight the fire on the 16th floor.#BCFDSRO rescued both workers. Scaffolding remains in a dangerous position.#BCFDEMS treating >20 people. pic.twitter.com/KfzEVsWQ46
According to WTOP, 21 construction contractors with Rand Construction Corp. were transported to area hospitals for medical treatment. Nine of the victims are listed in critical condition, and one is listed in serious condition with burns to his arms and chest. Two of the rescued victims declined medical treatment.
Injuries to the remaining victims were later classified by a BGE spokeswoman as non-life-threatening, and the two workers trapped on the scaffolding were rescued by a special operations team through the windows on the 10th and 11th floors, the Sun reported.
“The incident ran from the 10th floor to the roof,” fire Chief Niles R. Ford said.
Baltimore Gas & Electric, which has offices in the building, said in a statement that construction work occurring in the air handling and boiler room likely caused the explosion, WTOP reported.
According to the TV station, the building was mostly empty due to the holidays, and no BGE employees were injured.
Cox Media Group
