Baltimore continues to grapple with vacant properties in wake of another fatal fire

BALTIMORE -- Two of the four homes from last week's fatal fire in Northwest Baltimore were vacant at the time, according to City Housing records. 

Documents show one of the properties had just been issued a Vacant Building Notice weeks prior on September 30.

The Vacant Building Notice filed last month on one of the homes shows that an inspector deemed the home unfit to live in and it gives the owner 30 days to fix the issues, like a broken window.

All four properties now have VBNs after Thursday's fire.

The October 19 fire on Linden Heights Avenue claimed two firefighters' lives and injured three others. EMT/firefighter Rodney W. Pitts III and Lt. Dillon Rinaldo died from their injuries.

It is unknown the role vacant properties played in the firefight in Northwest Baltimore, which is the second deadly fire involving vacant homes in less than two years. 

In January 2022, three firefighters were killed battling a vacant rowhome fire on Stricker Street.

A report published months later detailed several changes in Baltimore City Fire Department policy regarding fighting vacant building fires.

In October 2022, the city re-launched an initiative to mark unsafe vacant buildings on the exterior, using reflective red squares to notify first responders.

Housing officials say the recently-vacant property did not have any roof or structural damage.

The city's vacant housing stock has ticked down in recent years. 

The city reports 13,796 Vacant Building Notices as of Thursday, down from 16,707 in October 2018. 

In the Woodmere neighborhood, home of last week's fatal fire, 34 VBNs are listed, which remained unchanged in the past two years.