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CAMBRIDGE, Md.-- Firefighters returned Wednesday morning to the scene of a massive fire that just the day before destroyed two antique stores and damaged a nearby building on the 400 block of Race Street in downtown Cambridge's historical district.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Cambridge firefighters responded to the rekindled blaze at the site of the Shore Bid store on 446 Race St. and the adjoining William G. Willikers Antiques store on 448 Race St. Firefighters managed to quickly extinguish the flames but the building continues to smoke and smolder.
By 7:30 a.m. firefighters continued to monitor the situation, which appears to have been placed back under control again. But they are being extremely cautious: Cambridge police say the fire has rekindled five times since it was first placed under control.
Calls about the fire were first reported Tuesday at 10:39 a.m. Maryland Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph G. Zurolo Jr. says it took 225 firefighters from Dorchester, Talbot and Wicomico counties six hours to bring the fire under control.
Five firefighters who were injured while fighting the blaze were taken to Dorchester General Hospital for treatment. Two of those firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation, a third for an injured leg, a fourth suffered a heart attack and the fifth firefighter experienced a seizure.
The fire destroyed both the Shore Bid and the William G. Willikers Antiques stores.
An adjacent apartment building at 450 and 452 Race St., experienced extensive smoke, fire and water damage. The building's six occupied apartments were evacuated due to the fire. All 12 people who lived in those apartments were safely evacuated and are being cared for by the Red Cross.
The Shore Bid and William G. Willikers Antiques building had undergone renovations a few months prior to the fire.
The surrounding area was blocked off to the public while firefighters worked to get the blaze under control.
According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, the fire caused at least $1 million in damage.
Fire investigators have determined that the fire originated inside the Store Bid Antiques shop. The exact cause for the fire remains under investigation. Investigators were slated to return to the scene on Wednesday morning to continue with the investigation.
Even while the fire continued to burn, Cambridge Mayor C.L. Rippons talked about rebuilding the city's historic downtown.
"We don't believe it's in the best interest of the city to leave a void there, so we will be working any way we can to work with the present owners to make sure to bring back to character and richness of the Cambridge city character down there," Rippons said.
Race Street has been the target of a local revitalization program through the city's Historical Preservation Committee. Many of the buildings in the business district there are more than 100-years-old.
Republished with permission from WBOC-TV 16
