BALTIMORE --
Baltimore firefighters are battling a three-alarm blaze at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center.
The Ashley Stewart Clothing Store, Village Hair and Beauty Supply and a gift store are engulfed in flames.
Fire Department spokesman Battalion Chief Kevin Cartwright said 12 other businesses have been evacuated for safety reasons.
Cartwright says the first units on the scene shortly before 9:30 a.m. encountered heavy fire and smoke conditions. The firefighters began an interior attack but were ordered outside as conditions worsened.
The rear of one of the businesses has collapsed.
There are no reports of injuries. Investigators and arson detectives are on the scene to determine what may have started the blaze.
The shopping center is located in the 4500 block of Edmondson Avenue.
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