A fire damaged at least six rowhomes Wednesday evening near Patterson Park.

Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright said they received a call for a two-alarm fire in the 300 block of South Robinson Street just after 5 p.m. The fire started in the rear of the properties and quickly spread north, Cartwright said. The cause is not yet known.

There have been no injuries reported, Cartwright said.

A firefighter is backlit as he walks down the ladder of a firetruck.
A Baltimore firefighter descends a ladder at the scene of a fire Wednesday. (Kaitlin Newman)

One resident, who asked to remain unnamed for safety reasons, said she was in the middle of a Zoom call when she heard a crackling sound coming from the second floor of the corner rowhome.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

She wondered if someone might be throwing glass bottles onto her deck but soon spotted the flames. The renter tried throwing the water she had been drinking onto the blaze but realized she needed to get out of the house quickly. On her way out the door, she grabbed her computer and the Bible in which she had tucked a winning lottery ticket from earlier in the week.

”It blew up fast, in two minutes,” she said. The East Baltimore resident was planning to move in a few weeks anyway, she said, but will now do so without most of her belongings thanks to the fire.

”I’m feeling a ‘Thelma and Louise’ moment,” she said from the sidewalk a few hours later. “Maybe I should just drive off.”

A group of people sit on stoops and the sidewalk as fire truck are seen in the background.
Residents gather on the street as firefighters respond to a fire in the 300 block of South Robinson Street. (Kaitlin Newman)

Neighbor Brian Sullivan, who lives just a few houses down from those damaged, was working from home in his basement when he heard a loud bang.

Sullivan said his wife grabbed the dog while he ran to the corner and called 911. He watched the flames blow out several windows and spread quickly down the block in the direction of his own home, which wasn’t damaged.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

After the fire was contained, Sullivan looked up at the smoldering buildings. A fire department ladder rested on the roof of his house.

”It’s a good reminder to check for fire risks, exits,” he said. “But I could have used a gentler reminder.”

lillian.reed@thebaltimorebanner.com