from www.nydailynews.com - A massive fire swept through the heart of downtown Baltimore on Monday, igniting an infamous row of strip clubs and adult entertainment parlors nicknamed "The Block."
The fire started around 4 p.m. in a three-story building, fire spokesman Battalion chief Kevin Cartwright told reporters, before spreading down the block to as many as six buildings.
By Monday rush hour, smoke could be seen throughout the city as the five-alarm fire ripped through the buildings.
Many of the structures did not appear to have sprinkler systems, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Area residents' pictures posted on Twitter show very limited visibility throughout the downtown area, as people struggled to get to their cars and through the traffic caused by the blaze.
The fire is believed to have broken out first at Gayety Show World, an adult video store with private viewing booths across the street from the Hustler Club.
Patrons and exotic dancers ignored the blaze down the street at Custom House Avenue, the Baltimore Sun reported.
"It hasn't affected us except for the alarms," a manager told the newspaper. "We're keeping the doors closed because of the smoke."
Two city office buildings, including the fire department headquarters, were evacuated and later appeared to be soaked with water.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the buildings would have to be inspected before anyone returned to them.
Alex LeBlanc, who worked near the area affected by the fire as a management consultant, said he'd never seen smoke like the billowing clouds that took over the city.
"From three blocks away, it was just black," he told the Associated Press.
The historic strip club district has been badly damaged by fires three times before, first in 1904 when a fire destroyed much of the city, and again in 1935 and in the late 60s, according to the Sun.
from www.baltimoresun.com - A massive fire on the city's hub of strip clubs has shut down business for the night on The Block.
At least two of the major clubs, Larry Flynt's Hustler Club and Club Pussycat, will be closed for the night.
The rest of the 18 or so strip joints in the neighborhood will likely remain closed as the Fire Department continued to fight a blaze that engulfed at least four buildings on the 400 block of East Baltimore Street. Several streets have also been closed.
The Hustler Club, which is nearly in front of 404 E. Baltimore - where the fire is believed to have originated - even had smoke inside, said general manager Joe Stinelli.
He said the club will re-open tomorrow again.
At Pussycat, there won't be cheap lap dances tonight or g-strings on display. But the eight dancers who were inside when the fire broke out were still waiting for their marching orders when I called this afternoon.
"I'm still waiting for the Fire Department to call me back to find out what I'm doing with all these girls," said a man who works at the club but declined to give his name.
It will re-open tomorrow, he said.
Steve Yeager, a filmmaker who made "On the Block," a 1990 film set in the area*, said any damage is regrettable.
"I hate to see fire destroy even one of the buildings because there's only one block as it is," he said. "If a building is destroyed, who knows if they'll be replaced."
Area clubs Norma Jean's, Two O'Clock Club, Club Chez Joey's, Flamingo Lounge, and Oasis Nightclub couldn't be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, strip clubs outside The Block watched the fire from their windows and TV sets with little interest, certain it wouldn't affect their business.
The Gentleman's Gold Club treats a "classy clientele," said Cara, the general manager who declined to give her last name, so The Block's customers aren't likely to flock there.
(Incidentally, they had their own small fire Monday afternoon. As downtown burned, the dumpster behind the club caught fire. "It was just smoldering but it was still ablaze," Cara said this afternoon. "The firefighters' truck is still here.")
At Scores, business went on as usual, said general manager Sean Lewis. "I could see the fire from the lap dance area," he said. But he didn't expect a bump in foot traffic.
"I think The Block has a different clientele than what we have," he said.
There will be a fire special Tuesday night though: the hot wings they offer every Monday night.
