Maryland –
“An East Baltimore apartment building had to be evacuated Friday morning due to an underground fire and elevated levels of carbon monoxide.
Firefighters arrived at the Johnston Square Apartments on Greenmount Ave. shortly after 7:15 a.m. and found an active fire in an outdoor flowerbed.
First responders suspected gas or electricity may be involved, and a hazmat team was called in, along with Baltimore Gas and Electric.
BGE crews appeared to focus on the flowerbed area, where they believe a transformer or something in an electrical panel may have caught fire underground or in the basement.
Crews also found high levels of carbon monoxide on the ground floor and in the basement, as well as lower levels on the upper floors. According to the dispatch call, carbon monoxide levels in the basement were as high as 1,100 parts per million.
The first and second floors were fully evacuated, while the third and fourth were partially evacuated. More vulnerable residents on the upper floors were also removed from the building, fire officials said. A neighbor told WJZ the building houses seniors and people with disabilities…”