Crews make progress in large-scale firefight at vacant Baltimore mattress warehouse

A stubborn fire at a warehouse in Baltimore had first responders stepping back for an exterior attack on the flames as they disrupted a major passenger rail line along the Mid-Atlantic coast.

A stubborn fire at a warehouse in Baltimore had first responders stepping back for an exterior attack on the flames as they disrupted a major passenger rail line along the Mid-Atlantic coast.

The fire in west Baltimore was reported shortly before 7 p.m., and it quickly escalated in scale from 4-alarm, to 5-alarm, the Baltimore Fire Department said in a series of statements on social media. By around 1 a.m., it was seven alarms.

"Fire crews continue to contain the fire," the fire department said early Tuesday. Around 30 people were evacuated from the area, it said.

More than 200 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, Fire Chief James W. Wallace told reporters Monday night.

The department characterized the location as a vacant mattress warehouse with multiple stories.