The NAACP of Baltimore is blaming city officials for negligence that led to a fire Thursday, which destroyed two buildings attached to its headquarters in Charles Village. Shortly before 2:30 in the afternoon, flames could be seen streaming from the windows at 2 West 26th Street on Charles Avenue.
At a press conference Friday, Reverend Kobi Little, president of the NAACP Baltimore Chapter, stood in front of the charred block of four rowhomes detailing his experience. “I was standing outside when I noticed billows of black smoke coming from the building,” he said.
“I ran inside and evacuated our staff. By the time I came back outside, 4 West [26th Street] was on fire. Had the Baltimore Fire Department not been here—- in what seemed like record time—- our building would have been a blaze as well.”
Besides that compliment for the Baltimore Fire Department, Little criticized city agencies for their inaction. He said that he, and area residents, have raised concerns about the vacant building and illegal dumping to city leadership but have not seen any meaningful action. He called on Alice Kennedy, the housing commissioner and Jason Hessler, the deputy commissioner of permits & litigation, to resign.
“I'm very angry because this did not have to happen," said Little. "Kennedy and Hessler did not take action to prevent this tragedy. I told Jason the problem with 2 West is so bad that there is a tree growing out of the steps. Jason came and told me ‘Sir, that's not a tree. That's a weed.’ That was the city's response to this problem.“
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) responded in a statement:
“Baltimore City government has repeatedly sought to address issues at 2 W 26th Street within the confines of our authority under the law. The vast majority of the remaining vacants in Baltimore City are privately owned, including 2 W 26th St. Due to ongoing issues with this property, we have already begun the receivership process. Since 2020, we have decreased the number of vacant buildings from 16,431 to 13,818, the lowest in decades.“
Tammy Hawley, a spokesperson for the agency said the next trial date--for that property— is set for Dec 20th. Hawley added that DHCD "will continue taking action to hold negligent private property owners accountable for the condition of their properties." Besides DHCD, Little said the mayor was partially to blame.
“I sent the mayor a text message yesterday, along with a picture of this building fully engulfed. He has never called me. He has never come here to see what has happened. It's time for Mayor Brandon Scott to get the job done. Mayor, step up or step aside.”
Scott responded through a statement. He said that after learning about the fire, he dispatched the Deputy Housing Commissioner for Code Enforcement to the site.
“This was such an unfortunate incident," Scott said. "We take the broader issue of vacants very seriously. We’ve been tackling vacant properties with our partners across the city — because while we currently have the lowest number of vacants in Baltimore— we still know the system has to move faster to legally allow us to address many of them. We invite Reverend Little and the NAACP to be a part of that work.”
Besides City Hall, Little also found fault with the neighboring Public Storage facility.
“Public Storage has for years failed to be a good corporate citizen,” said Little. “[It has not] provided adequate facilities for the disposal of items. The tenants of Public Storage have been dumping in this alley, on our property, and in trash cans belonging to the residents of this neighborhood.“
Jeanisse, a property manager who declined to give her surname, has been working at that Public Storage for the past month. She strongly disagreed with Little’s comments.
“I don't know how we are bad neighbors,” she said. “I've personally went out there to clean up. And the next thing is it's the same trash. We have vendors that pick up trash whether we have it on our side.”
Right: City officials cleaned Morton early Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023 when responding to the fire at 2 West 26th Street.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
NAACP staff say their office is "filled with noxious, carcinogenic smoke," and are looking for a temporary location. The Chapter is also fundraising to offset repairs. Little told reporters the damage included thousands of COVID-19 masks, test kits and hand sanitizers that can no longer be distributed. He called for the city to improve its processes.
“If we address issues with the city, and it takes repeated attempts to get them to take action, and the leadership is smug and arrogant, then God help us all.”
WYPR Reporter Emily Hofsteader contributed this article.
