Fire in Red Light District of Baltimore
Fire in Red Light District of Baltimore
Fire in Red Light District of Baltimore
"The Block," as Baltimore's storied red-light district in the heart of downtown is called, was devastated by a five-alarm blaze this month, which firefighters believe started in a four-story building that houses Blue Mirrors and other adult businesses and novelty shops. It is reported to have caused extensive damage to four buildings and swept close to towering city office buildings, including the Fire Department's headquarters, and prompting the evacuation of about 2,000.
East Baltimore Street was engulfed in flames as women clad in lingerie and other "club wear" grabbed coats and dashed outside onto Baltimore Street.
"We were trying to get the girls out as soon as possible without getting any indecent exposure charges," said Jeff Jones, the owner of Blue Mirrors in an interview with Baltimore Sun staff. "By the time I got to the top of the steps, I couldn't see the tip of my nose because of the smoke."
More than 150 firefighters battled the flames near the intersection of East Baltimore and Holliday streets, smashing windows in century-old show bars and hosing down the buildings through the narrow alley that abuts a row of city office buildings. Fire officials are calling it the largest downtown fire in at least a decade, however no injuries were reported. No damage estimates were immediately available, and the cause remained under investigation.
Among the businesses that appeared to have been damaged were the Lust nightclub, the Gayety Show World bookstore, the Plaza Saloon and Crazy John's sub shop, a popular lunch spot for city workers.
The blaze engulfed the buildings and sent swells of black smoke across city's downtown skyline, sending The Block from day to night. Workers nearby were evacuated out on to a field in front of City Hall where they were reported to have snapped photos with cell phone cameras.
Lois Garey, a city zoning board employee and a former Baltimore City councilwoman, said she could smell smoke from her office on the top floor of the city-owned Charles L. Benton Jr. Building. The 64-year-old Garey, who walks with a cane because of a back problem, walked down 14 flights of stairs because the elevators were disabled due to the threat of fire.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake praised firefighters and said that crews would continue to inspect the charred buildings and survey damage to city offices. "We'll be here all night," she said. City workers who had not been able to grab keys or other essentials when they were evacuated received temporary shelter at the nearby War Memorial Plaza building, she said.
Fire Department spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright said arson investigators were inspecting the site, which is typical after a large fire. The fire appeared to have begun in a brick building on the north side of The Block. Stoked by stiff winds, the flames rapidly spread to three adjacent structures.
"The wind always plays a role in the intensity of the fire," Cartwright said.
This is not the first time The Block has been damaged by fires. A devastating blaze back in 1904 cleared out the block, which had featured business offices and clothing stories. Out of the movie house complex, opened by Philadelphia film producer Sidney Lubin, on the north side of the 400 block of E. Baltimore St. and adjoining buildings.Called "Lubin's," it advertised "Life Motion Pictures" and vaudeville acts on separate floors. During a fire in 1935, hundreds of patrons refused to leave after a blaze broke out in the projection room, according to an article in The Sun. The theater would years later switch to adult films.
Then, in the late 1960s, a blaze broke out across the street in the backstage area of the Gayety Theater, which at the time held fame to being the city's oldest live burlesque house. Its name and shows later moved into the Plaza, taking on the name Gayety Show World, which has been served as a video store with private viewing booths of late. Its motto: "Your pleasure is our business."
Peter Ireland, who owns Norma Jean's club, said it was difficult to watch fellow business owners confront the prospect of losing their businesses.
"Some of those building's are over 100 years old, and you're going to have problems," he told the Sun, predicting that city officials would "wind up tearing them down, buying them out and condemning them. "They might condemn the whole block," he said. "You don't know what's going to happen. "The Block, for all its faults, is a landmark, an icon. I don't see any way we are not going to come back."
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