Fire in Northeast Baltimore City Critically Injures Three Children and Leaves Six More Unaccounted For

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Thursday, January 12, 2017 - Less than one mile from my home, in other words, less than one mile from where I am writing and posting this piece, is the remaining bits of a home that is now in the national and, indeed, international, news.  That home went up in flames before dawn, which is just a few hours ago.  Nine (9) children, ranging in age from 8 months to just 11 years, and the mother of one or more of those innocents, were in the home.  

I have just returned from the scene of this tragedy.  Even 100 yards away - which is where the police and fire departments have posted lines through which citizens may not pass - the mood was somber.  The home that burned is a disaster.  The third floor is collapsed into the second floor, which, in turn, has at least partially collapsed into the first.  A fire official says that the remains of the home may be stable enough quite soon for the front of what is left can be removed by tractors and other heavy equipment, allowing fire investigators to enter the home and conduct a hand search.

As Baltimore City firefighters arrived early today, they found that the mother and three of the nine children said to live in the wood-framed house were out of that house but badly injured.  Hospitals in the nearby say all are in either critical or serious condition, mostly the former.  (In fact, one of the three children is in serious condition.  The other two children and the mother are in critical condition, fire officials say.) The remaining six innocents are said to be "unaccounted" for.  In the first reports, I listened carefully for some hint that the six might have been elsewhere last night, instead of in the house awaiting discovery,  

As I update this piece at 10:15 am, Baltimore City Fire Chief Roman Clark said the six missing children can now be said to be "presumed dead."  

The Washington Post has reported that the fire was first reported at 12:30 am.  

If they are in the house, they will not be found alive, I am grief-stricken to tell you.  The web page for ABC2 in Baltimore has some pictures of the home.  Like others around here, it is an older home, having been built sometime early in the last century or late in the nineteenth century.  If that many folk are living in the home, it is pretty plain that there isn't a whole heck of a lot of money available to fireproof the house.  My own home isn't fireproof.

This is a tragedy of immense proportions.