Dan Belson
Baltimore Sun
(TNS)
A two-alarm blaze on York Road in Cockeysville was under control Wednesday evening after destroying a strip of Antique Row businesses during an hours-long battle with firefighters from numerous localities.
The fire, which broke out at about 3 p.m. on the 10800 block of York Road, did not injure anyone, said fire department Lt. Travis Francis, a spokesperson.
The main building that was engulfed in flames, a strip with an electronics repair store and a boutique facing York Road, had “completely collapsed” before 6 p.m., Francis said. The fire was under control by about 7 p.m.
Baltimore County Police shut down York Road between Warren Road and Wight Avenue as investigators probed the cause of the fire into Wednesday night.
Police said a southbound lane of York Road near the site of the fire is expected to still be closed Thursday morning due to debris, and encouraged commuters to seek an alternate route. The same applies for those who travel through Cockeysville Road between Williamson Lane and Beaver Court, which is closed for a water main break.
The fire didn’t spare neighboring businesses on Antique Row, such as the Integrative Wellness Center, which is severely smoke-damaged and filled with water, owner Barbara Moran said.
Chris Theodoropoulos, who has owned the now burned-out building for about four decades, said he recently had fireproofing work done on the property which held several businesses and one apartment.
Outside the charred remains of Sass Resale Boutique, the high-end consignment shop that once adorned York Road with hot pink banners, owner Rebecca Best lamented the loss of the shop she has run for the past decade.
“We just won [Baltimore Magazine’s] Best of Baltimore award for the sixth time,” she said.
Best said she was running errands when the fire broke out, but her employee Gabbi Gorelik called 911 and evacuated safely along with three shop dogs— Sonny Boy, Barney and Sadie Jane.
New Phoenix Pottery, another business destroyed by the blaze, was scheduled to have an open studio Wednesday evening, said owner Christine Williams. The group of people who regularly attend have mostly been going together throughout the past 12 years.
“It’s a special place,” Williams said, noting many of her regular pottery enthusiasts were drawn to the hobby following traumatic life events like cancer or the death of a loved one.
“They would come to the studio to heal, to talk,” she said. “It was a wonderful meeting place.”
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