12 Rowhomes Catch Fire In West Baltimore, 1 Firefighter Injured
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A five-alarm fire ripped through 12 rowhomes in Baltimore on Friday. A firefighter is seriously hurt and several families now find themselves without a home.
Officials said the wind ignited the embers, causing the fire to spread to several homes.
"I see a lot of smoke after I see the smoke about five seconds later I saw flames," said neighbor Amanda Fields. "Flames were really high."
Ten out of the 12 homes were vacant at the time, but there were people inside of the other two. One family said they are lucky to be alive.
One of the two homes was Michelle King's.
"I was like, is that my house?" she said.
She said her daughter was home at the time and was quickly rescued by firefighters. The inside of her house is destroyed.
"It's a mess, the roofs are caved in, water damage, soot from the flames, everything is soaking wet," King said.
As firefighters watched the flames, neighbors watched in shock.
"We are just grateful today we don't have significantly more damage," said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.
As investigators try to figure out what sparked the fire, King said she's lucky her family is alive.
"I just thank God it wasn't at night and we were sleeping," King said.
Officials said they are still investigating what happened, and the Red Cross said they are working with families impacted to help provide them with a place to stay.
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