Building explosion in Baltimore injures 23, arrests workers

An explosion in a tall building in Baltimore injured 23 people and temporarily arrested a window washing team on a hanging scaffold.

BALTIMORE – An explosion in a tall building in Baltimore injured 23 people on Wednesday and temporarily arrested a window washing team on a hanging scaffold.

Twenty-one of the victims were taken to hospitals in the area after the explosion, which caused a partial collapse of the roof. The city’s fire department tweeted that at least nine of the victims were in critical condition, while another was in serious condition.

The arrested workers were rescued through a window. Firefighters continued to search the building on Wednesday afternoon.

The firefighters’ union tweeted that the evidence points to an explosion on the 16th floor of the downtown building, where the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company offices are located.

The fire department said the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. But dealership spokeswoman Stephanie Anne Weaver said the work on the building’s “air and boiler treatment system” probably caused the accident.

“Window washing scaffolding was compromised because of the incident and a window washing team was pulled to a safe place by firefighters,” said Weaver in a statement. The building was practically empty because of the holidays and the coronavirus pandemic.