Following a day of riots in Baltimore, a community center and apartments owned by the Southern Baptist Church in East Baltimore were set ablaze and burnt down before firefighters managed to contain the flames.
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MORE:Baltimore riot: Violent
clashes, tear gas, rubber bullets after Freddie Gray funeral
Firefighters were forced
to respond to the three-alarm fire at 8:49pm, after the flames
engulfed the five-story building at Gay and Federal
streets.
Massive fire at Senior Center that was under construction
#BaltimoreRiotspic.twitter.com/QSq42fW1s8
— Sputnik US (@SputnikNewsUS) April
28, 2015
“We were able to dispatch units as soon as we got the
call,” Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Capt. Roman Clark
said, as law enforcement officers with shotguns cordoned off the
fire hazard area. More than 90 firefighters responded to battle
the flames.
.RT @BrianfromABC2: This
East #Baltimore
fire is raging. Gay and Chester. pic.twitter.com/8ZeR7PK7Mo
— Dispatch Demon (@DispatchDemon) April
28, 2015
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Clark said, as
riots following Freddie Gray’s funeral raged across the city. No
one was injured in the East Baltimore blaze.
A spokesman for the mayor of Baltimore, Kevin Harris, said the
fire at the Mary Harvin Transformation Center was related to
rioting in the city.
The fire in East Baltimore. Dozens of people out here crying
and in disbelief: “This is our church!” pic.twitter.com/2DTf1m7sia
— Yvonne Wenger (@yvonnewenger) April
28, 2015
Firefighters managed to calm the fire just before 10:00pm and
were spraying water over surrounding structures to ensure no
flames spread.
The Southern Baptist Church was building the center to provide 60
affordable apartments and behavioral counseling for seniors. The
construction was ongoing since 2006 by the Woda Group, a
low-income housing developer.
Fire engulfs E. #Baltimore
building as riots continue http://t.co/N2OUIVoFe9 #BaltimoreRiotspic.twitter.com/XBWlMw9hzX
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) April
28, 2015
“We’re going to rebuild. We’re going to come back strong from
this,” the church’s pastor Donte Hickman told local media
outlets. “This fire is going to spark a revival.”
Senior vice president of The Woda Group, Kevin Bell, also vowed
to rebuild the housing and community center. “This does not
make us go away,” he said.
The city lent $15 million towards the construction of the units.
The State Department of Housing and Community Development granted
another $200,000 last year toward the center.
The Southern Baptist Church fire is one of many the Baltimore
City Fire Department has been battling as riots erupted
throughout the city. Baltimore’s firefighters are taking
precautions to protect themselves against violence.