City Hall Given All Clear After Fire Alarm

BALTIMORE, MD - City Hall was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning during a Board of Estimates meeting, according to reports.

A fire alarm went off before 9:30 a.m., prompting the evacuation, according to Fox 45, which reported the source of the scare was a mayor’s aide trying to reheat food in the oven.

The alarm came at a time when the city was on alert, awaiting the verdict in the trial of Officer William Porter, the first of six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.

Jurors announced they were deadlocked Tuesday afternoon and continued deliberating Wednesday morning in attempt to reach consensus.

By 9:40 a.m., the all-clear was given at Baltimore‘s City Hall on Holliday Street, and people were allowed to reenter the building, according to WBAL, which reported a city hall spokesman had been heating latkes at the time the alarm sounded.

• Jury Deadlocked on Day 2 of Officer Porter Deliberations
• Baltimore Schools CEO ‘Very Concerned’ for Trial’s End

Pictured, Baltimore City Hall. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Janney.