BALTIMORE UNDER SEIGE April 27-28, 2015

[BCFDphotoman]

Starting on April 27th at around 3:00 PM Baltimore would be hit with civil unrest that would last until daybreak the following day. It started near the quarters of Engine 52 and spread to the surrounding areas with confrontations with the police. Several Police were beaten badly with 2 were taken unconscious to the hospital. Engine 52 had to leave their house and relocate. It started with taunting Police, fighting and then rocks, bricks and everything else were being thrown. Medics and Suppression units were instructed to stage outside the troubled scene and be escorted into the scene. It later escalated  when 2 MTA Police vehicles were set ablaze and gangs of youths began breaking into a CVS store looting it and later setting it on fire. After the sun went down it went down hill from there. About 20 significant fires were set around the City in buildings. Many vehicles were set on fire everywhere. Companies bypassed these unless there were any exposure problems. The last time Baltimore witnessed something like this was in 1968 when Martin Luther King was assassinated.

 

Here is a shot of the first major blaze.It happened about 8:45 PM. It turned out to be 3 alarms. A warehouse and several other buildings. I grabbed a shot as we pulled up, then had to go to work on it. We didn't clear until 2:30 AM and missed several other fires around. Some companies went from fire to fire through the whole night. There were plenty of mutual aid units from all of the surrounding jurisdictions. They all got there fair share of action.

[BCFDphotoman]

The next morning I stopped by the Oldtown Station. Mutual aid companies were changing out shifts and apparatus.

[BCFDphotoman]

Heres the Washington D. C. contingent. Engine 6, 4, 10 and Rescue 1(using RS4). Battalion Chief 1 was sitting in front of these:

[BCFDphotoman]

Hyattsville's Truck 1 on a response goes past City Hall:

[BCFDphotoman]

Part of the national press in front of City Hall:

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The Riverdale Volunteers catching a Medic run down the street from FD Headquarters with City Medic 5:

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Part of the entourage of Maryland State Police and the National Guard in front of City Hall protecting it:

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One of the Police "Bearcats" parked in front of City Hall:

[BCFDphotoman]

Companies were mopping up and packing up as I drove past the scene of the other big fire that happened during the night. A couple of storefronts on the west side. Rioters set a smaller fire here earlier in the evening. This one broke out around 4:00 AM. Three alarms and special calls to prevent the fire from getting into a 5-story warehouse in the rear of this block.

[BCFDphotoman]

As I headed out of the City a Box Alarm was struck for a fire in a Shopping Center ahead of me. I got there as the units were arriving. It turned out to be nothing. Kentland Volunteers and Hyattsville responded along with the City units.

[BCFDphotoman]

The MD State Fire Marshall was also at the Oldtown Station and was responding on all of the fires that occurred:

[BCFDphotoman]

Around Noon Police from all over began to arrive and stage at the M & T Stadium parking lot. They were awaiting orders and assignments to be placed all around the City and will be here for the next few days or week.

This is D. C.'s group:

[BCFDphotoman]

Here is the State Police's "Super Bus" with the Ravens Stadium in the background:

[BCFDphotoman]

Crews waiting for their briefing:

[BCFDphotoman]

One of the National Guards vehicles that will be on the streets of "B-MORE" this week:

[BCFDphotoman]

The canteen unit from Independent Hose Company in Frederick along with Missions B-B-Q was providing food to all of the troops:

[BCFDphotoman]

Here's some of the guys and gals getting their food before they get deployed throughout Baltimore:

[BCFDphotoman]

Here's a bunch of National Guardsmen marching in:

[BCFDphotoman]

Here's a Rescue Vehicle from Greenbelt, Prince Georges County:

[BCFDphotoman]

And lastly, there was a working fire this morning in southwest Baltimore in a vacant boarded up frame duplex. I don't know if this was related to everything else the previous day or not: