BALTIMORE – An explosion in a high-rise building in Baltimore injured at least 10 people and temporarily trapped two workers on dangling scaffolding.
The city’s fire department tweeted that nine of the victims were in critical condition, while another was in serious condition. They were brought to area hospitals following the explosion with a partial roof collapse.
The trapped workers were rescued through a window.
The firefighters’ union tweeted that evidence points to an explosion on the 16th floor of the downtown building, where the offices of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company are located.
Utility spokeswoman Stephanie Anne Weaver said work on the building’s “air handling and boiler system” likely caused the accident.
“Window washing scaffolding was comprised because of the incident and a window washing crew was pulled to safety by the fire department,” Weaver said in a statement.
The building was practically empty because of the holidays and the coronavirus pandemic.