BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Fire officials are investigating a Wednesday morning explosion at the BGE office building downtown.
In total, 23 people were rescued from various parts of the building.
Fire officials say 21 of them have been taken to the hospital. At least nine are in serious or critical condition.
According to a statement, BGE said the 21 contractors were treated at area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
BGE said two individuals rescued were window washers who became trapped high atop a scaffold on the side of the building.
Severe damage has been reported from the tenth floor of the building all the way up to the roof, which partially collapsed.
On the scene of the explosion on the 100 block of Fayette St, where approximately 21 people were rescued and 10 transported to area hospitals for treatment. Cause is still under investigation.
— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) December 23, 2020
I thank @BaltimoreFire and all of our first responders for their life-saving work. pic.twitter.com/obFOYZjABy
BGE said in a statement that none of their employees were injured and the building was mostly empty due to the holidays and people working remotely during the pandemic.
BGE says the explosion wasn't gas-related and was likely caused by construction work being done on the building’s air handling and boiler system. The ATF has joined city authorities in the investigation.
Southern Management which owns several buildings next door, tells WMAR-2 News that none of their residents, tenants, or team members were impacted by the explosion.
This story was first reported by Ryan Dickstein at WMAR in Baltimore, Maryland.
