Firefighters finally contain massive Baltimore brush fire that closed roads and rails with thick smoke

A massive brush fire near Baltimore that caused road closures with thick smoke has been contained Friday morning, fire crews say.

Firefighters were battling a massive, wind-driven brushfire at a Baltimore wood recycling yard that closed a section of the expressway into the city's downtown, the neighboring light rail line and nearby roads and schools on Friday morning.

Crews were called to the Camp Small yard, where large trees and logs are stacked about 30 feet high, after 5 p.m. Thursday, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said at a briefing.

“When they got here, they discovered a rapidly evolving fire that was in a large pile of trees and logs in a large area," Wallace said. "This stage is just that, lots of trees, logs, stumps and things like that."

About 100 to 125 firefighters were battling the fire. Wallace said it was a challenge because the flames were fueled by high winds. He said firefighters planned to use heavy equipment to cut a ring around the fire once they had more control.

"It's very, very difficult for us to get out ahead of it," Wallace said.

Firefighters gained the upper hand Thursday night, and on Friday morning the fire was contained.

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Air quality in parts of the city were in the moderate range on Friday morning because of smoke from the fire. People sensitive to air pollution should consider avoiding outdoor activities, the Maryland Department of the Environment said in a social media post.

Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman John Marsh said the smoke was dying down, allowing officials to reopen Interstate 83, which runs from downtown Baltimore to areas north of the city. Officials announced before 9 a.m. that the northbound and southbound lanes had reopened.

Two nearby high schools were closed Friday, Mayor Brandon Scott said at a briefing. Fireworks were canceled at an annual holiday celebration in downtown Baltimore on Friday evening.

Marsh said no injuries had been reported even as crews spent all night working to battle the fire, which grew rapidly because of weather conditions and the enormous concentration of dry wood.

The recycling yard is filled with logs, branches and other tree waste that city crews remove from Baltimore streets, sidewalks and parks. Much of the wood is later turned into lumber and mulch or sold to local builders.

"It was the largest bonfire I've ever seen in my life," Marsh said.

He said the cause remains under investigation. Officials haven't provided a timeline for when the fire could be fully extinguished.

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In recent weeks, numerous brush fires have occurred along the East Coast - a disaster that is typically associated with the West Coast - as conditions worsen with more droughts and higher temperatures due to climate change.

New York City parks, New Jersey and other places are just some of the areas that have reported brush fires in the fall.

According to the non-profit Climate Central, parts of the Northeast are experiencing at least 10 more days of “fire weather” currently than in the 1970s. Hot temperatures can make wildfires more likely to ignite, the group stated. The group added the number of low humidity night is decreasing as well. Those nights help firefighters gain control over a brush fire. The low humidity levels also leave vegetation dry and prone to burning.

“Wildfire seasons are lengthening and intensifying, particularly in the West. Many parts of the East have seen smaller but impactful increases in fire weather days,” the group noted in a recently released report.