Fatal fires in St. Louis, Baltimore expose vacant home risks

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Vacant homes that dot the urban and rural landscape across the U.S. pose an especially high risk for firefighters because many are unsound even before catching fire. Last month, one St. Louis firefighter and three in Baltimore died when vacant homes collapsed during fires. Now, St. Louis fire leaders are doing an inventory of every vacant home — all 10,000 of them — with plans to develop a database available on each fire truck. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has directed every department to evaluate how to deal with the city’s 15,000 vacant homes.