Blast at Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant Leaves Three Hurt

Lily Carey, Bridget Byrne

Baltimore Sun

(TNS)

An explosion Tuesday at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant in South Baltimore injured three people, according to the Baltimore Fire Department.

Baltimore first responders were called to the plant around 1 p.m. after reports of an explosion at 3501 Asiatic Ave. in the Wagner’s Point industrial area. At the scene, Fire Chief James Wallace said crews found three people “down with significant injuries.”

First responders took two people to a hospital in critical condition and a third in serious condition, Wallace said. All three are contractors at the plant and not city employees.

While the cause of the explosion is still under investigation, Wallace said at a news conference that an electrical malfunction likely triggered it.

“There may have been some type of a power arc or a fuse that blew, but at either rate, it happened with a lot of energy,” Wallace said.

Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. has shut off power to the plant and is helping investigate the cause of the blast.

The plant was operating on backup generators as of Tuesday afternoon, and there were no interruptions to water or wastewater treatment service in the area, Wallace said.

Additionally, Wallace and Department of Public Works Director Matt Garbark said there was a chemical odor, likely hydrogen sulfide, detected at a main inflow pipe near the plant.

While the odor does not pose a threat to the public, Wallace said police were directing people away from the area and that BGE was investigating whether it was linked to the explosion.

Mayor Brandon Scott also attended the news conference and asked residents to pray for the injured contractors. The city will “continue to investigate” all possible causes, he said.

State inspectors are also responding, officials with the Maryland Department of the Environment said in a social media post.

©2026 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.