Baltimore Firefighters Hit Four-Alarm Fire in Drywall Plant

In a matter of 20 minutes, a fire in a two-story 800,000-square-foot commercial structure went to four alarms in Baltimore Wednesday afternoon.

"This is another example of  of where sound tactical decisions were made here by our initial chiefs, and just good firefighting techniques were done here. It's windy again, we talk about the wind all the time, it seems to be our luck. This fire certainly had the potential to just go right down this building horizontally. They got in front of it and they cut it off," Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace told WBAL and others during a press conference. 

Smoke from the Gold Bond Building Products facility, which manufactures drywall and gypsum board, was visible throughout the city.

"The fire was high in the building, and it did vent itself over there. We also think there might be some horizontal fire spread down behind the walls, so we're having to get in there, kind of pull the skin off the walls," Wallace said.

Crews mounted an external attack before moving inside. While authorities continue to investigate, the fire may have started as part of a mechanical process.

"We have a lot of interviews to do, but right now, that's what we believe. We believe it was a mechanical process in the building. We do believe that the employees did attempt to extinguish the fire, but it got ahead of them. They did the right thing. They got their people out," Wallace said.