BALTIMORE — No one was injured when a parking garage near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor partially collapsed Friday morning, authorities said.
The collapse occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on the ground level and second floor of the parking garage at One East Pratt Street, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department.
The fire department’s special operations unit found no signs of people trapped or injured during an initial scan and floor-by-floor search of the garage, Assistant Chief Dante Stewart said.
Firefighters found no sign of anyone trapped or injured during multiple searches of the garage Friday morning. Photo: Courtesy of WUSA-9
Chief Stewart acknowledged there was a driver heading into the garage at the time, but said that person escaped injury.
The chief said structural engineers will inspect the garage to determine its structural integrity.
Standing next to the chief at a news conference Friday morning, Mayor Brandon Scott expressed relief that everyone was OK, saying it could have been a lot worse.
“We are thankful that no one was injured in this incident,” Scott said. “This could have been a great tragedy. We are grateful to the men and women of the fire department who responded.”
The crash shut down traffic on Pratt Street between Charles and Conway, a stretch of road that will remain closed until further notice, transit officials said.
None of the roughly 50 vehicles parked in the garage were damaged, Stewart said.
Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello asked residents, including those whose cars were parked in the garage, to avoid the area while first responder efforts continued on the scene.
“If your vehicle is inside this garage at One East Pratt Street, please contact SPPlus to get more information on when it is safe to pick up your vehicle,” said Council Member Costello.
The fire department said garage owners and management are responsible for conducting annual inspections of the facility. The garage was last inspected in 2017, according to the fire department.
WJZ reached out to the company about Friday’s incident but did not receive an immediate response.
As this section of Charles Street is closed indefinitely, detours are in place. Drivers trying to get to hotels in the area can still enter the Hyatt roundabout near Charles Street and exit on the median back to Conway Street.
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional details become available.
There were no injuries to report at the Pratt St. garage. Nearly 50 cars remain inside while building inspectors help drivers retrieve their vehicles. At this time, the cause remains under investigation and will be addressed by S&P Plus building management. pic.twitter.com/lzd1Nnv0nH
— Baltimore Fire (@BaltimoreFire) July 15, 2022 Ava-joye Burnett
Ava-joy Burnett is an award-winning journalist who joined the WJZ news team in January 2016. She is a general assignment reporter.
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