BALTIMORE (WBFF) — An investigation by the forensic consultant RTI Group LLC has revealed that a combination of combustible gases that had been generating in a Charles Street manhole and connecting duct work caused the underground fire in September of 2024, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Tuesday.
The report provides a comprehensive chronology of the Sept. 29, 2024 fire in the underground conduit at the intersection of Charles and Pleasant Streets, noting a number of risk factors and providing recommendations for the city to prevent future fires.
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The fire, which ignited around 4 a.m., spread through the conduit system to nearby businesses, causing damage and forcing a power outage in much of the city’s downtown area as well as street closures. According to the report, by 6:30 a.m. a fire started in the bookstore of Brown’s Arcade building because of the “lack of fire stop plugs in the duct.” Three manhole covers, two on North Charles St. and one on Saint Paul Place, had blown and were showing smoke.
One firefighter was injured and transported to the hospital. He was later discharged with minimal injuries, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD).
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RTI conducted research of the manhole, the surrounding conduit, physical evidence removed after the fire and several interviews with people from the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT), BCFD and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE). The company then developed recommendations that will now form the basis of an implementation plan led by DOT, who has already installed a pilot monitoring system for detecting gases and high temperatures in the manhole at the center of the 2024 fire.
“My number one focus is always the safety and protection of our residents,” Mayor Brandon Scott said, via a press release. “This issue has existed for years, but this is the first time the City has hired a professional engineering firm to actually develop a comprehensive set of recommendations for preventing these fires in the future. I’m grateful to all of the folks who helped put this report together, and especially to all those who are working to put these recommendations into action.”
“While we all know the many risks associated with our City’s aging infrastructure, we will be working with our utility partners to develop a plan to mitigate the threat that these manhole explosions and underground fires pose to our residents,” DOT director Veronica McBeth said, via a press release.
RTI’s conclusions from its investigation include the underground infrastructure is overcrowded with multiple utilities and there was little to no separation of fiber optic cables from power cables inside the manhole.
The company’s recommendations include ensuring all fiber cable coils and splice boxes are separated from all power cables in the manhole by at least one foot and make a city-wide utility scaled drawing database.
Read all the conclusions and recommendations in the full report below:
DOT plans to review bids for a comprehensive monitoring system as part of a larger plan that DOT will lead with the city’s underground utility partners, according to the mayor’s office.
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