Baltimore Evaluating Next Steps to Prevent Underground Fires

City officials and BGE discuss modernizing century-old conduit system after recent explosions and outages

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Baltimore City officials are evaluating next steps to prevent another underground fire and explosion after a recent report revealed gas build-up and overcrowded manholes led to a September 2024 explosion and fire that caused serious damage and power outages. The city is working with Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) to modernize the aging conduit system, including rebuilding manholes, improving conduit layout, and upgrading safety conditions.

Why it matters

Underground fires and explosions pose serious risks to public safety and can disrupt critical infrastructure and commercial corridors in the city. The aging conduit system, which is owned by the city but maintained by BGE, has been the source of multiple incidents in recent years, highlighting the need for comprehensive modernization efforts.

The details

A recent report found that the September 2024 Charles Street explosion and underground fire in Downtown Baltimore was caused by gas build-up and overcrowded manholes in the city's century-old conduit system. The city's Public Safety Committee held a hearing to discuss recommendations, including addressing overcrowding in manholes and creating a database for maintenance and inspection. Councilwoman Phylicia Porter wants to see sensors and AI tools to monitor the system and detect issues earlier. Under an agreement with the city, BGE is performing modernization work such as rebuilding manholes, improving conduit layout, and upgrading safety conditions.

  • Three years ago, the city entered an agreement with Baltimore Gas and Electric.
  • In September 2024, an underground fire and explosion occurred on Charles Street, causing serious damage and power outages.
  • The city's Public Safety Committee held a hearing on the issue on Tuesday.

The players

Mark Conway

Baltimore City Councilman, District 4

Phylicia Porter

Baltimore City Councilwoman, District 10

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE)

The utility company that helps modernize the city-owned conduit system in exchange for use of the system.

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What they’re saying

“We've been seeing these fires happen time and time again, and we want to ensure safety.”

— Mark Conway, Baltimore City Councilman, District 4 (wbal.com)

“If we can detect it much earlier, then we're able to encapsulate the fire or public safety issue, possibly saving lives and commercial corridors as well.”

— Phylicia Porter, Baltimore City Councilwoman, District 10 (wbal.com)

“I think we've made a great amount of progress with new manholes, enhancing the system, expanding the system, modernizing.”

— Sterling Sumwalt, Senior Manager, BGE Conduit Division (wbal.com)

What’s next

Porter expects an update on the monitoring program by the end of the year — around the same time as the agreement with BGE is up.

The takeaway

The aging and overcrowded condition of Baltimore's century-old underground conduit system has led to multiple dangerous fires and explosions in recent years, underscoring the critical need for comprehensive modernization efforts by the city and BGE to improve public safety and infrastructure resilience.