Homes demolished as sinkhole on North Avenue in Baltimore grew larger

By Barry Simms

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Crews demolished three homes a day after a sinkhole opened up Monday night on East North Avenue in Baltimore.

The sinkhole, which is deep and located in front of a block of rowhomes in the 700 block of East North Avenue, has since grown larger in size. City crews have since fenced off the area.

The mayor said only one of the properties was occupied when the sinkhole opened up. No injuries have been reported.

Officials closed East North Avenue in both directions between Greenmount and Homewood avenues.

“We know it is a main artery. We know it will be a severe traffic impact,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “(The) most important thing is the safety of the folks working to make the repair and folks traveling.”

Building inspectors were at the site Tuesday to demolish three homes, all of which were deemed unsafe because of the sinkhole.

Crews from the Departments of Housing and Community Development, Transportation and Public Works are involved in the demolition and repair.

“Our crews are excavating a 180-inch storm drain so that as we get rain, we can get water pushed through the system,” DPW Director Jason Mitchell said.

Homeowner Quentin Bell took pictures and watched as his investment got knocked to the ground.

“Oh man, I just redid the whole house,” Bell said. “(I) couldn’t go in there and get anything because the bottom of it was already collapsing. It wasn’t safe to go in and get nothing.”

Another homeowner, Mohamed Abdmomin, told 11 News he called 911 when he found out about the sinkhole. He took pictures as it grew larger, taking down a bus stop sign and a tree. Now, the house he was renovating, which he said was just a shell, is gone, reduced to rubble by heavy machinery.

“It’s a disaster. (I’ll) just try to absorb it and deal with, but at least everybody’s safe,” Abdmomin said.

City officials said a 115-year-old stone arch storm drain collapsed. DPW officials think the sinkhole and drain problem happened after the weekend’s heavy rain. Crews were excavating the storm drain to open it up as more storms are in the forecast for Tuesday.

“That hole would take you right to the harbor. If somebody fell in there, they would have gone straight to the harbor,” said Baltimore City Councilman Robert Stokes, D-District 12.

Just after heavy rain Tuesday afternoon, water collected high and fast through the storm drain as workers were demolishing the houses and trying to get to the bottom of the sinkhole to determine repairs.

A cause remains under investigation. Housing Commission Alice Kennedy said an investigation into the cause needs to be completed before any claims from property owners can be considered.

While sinkholes are more common in Western Maryland, they can happen around Baltimore. Meteorologist Tony Pann said rounds of heavy rain, akin to Saturday’s storms, can slowly erode the bedrock and the weight above causes a collapse.

It’s unclear when North Avenue can be reopened.

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