Baltimore community rallies together after multiple fires rip through neighborhood
Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood is coming together after multiple fires tore through Keswick Road within the past eight months.
"The thing I learned through the fire was the strength of this community," said Dr. Simone Gibson, the pastor of Pathway Fellowship FMC.
Fires rip through Baltimore neighborhood
In May, a fire ripped through three rowhomes – just a few months after another set of homes went up in flames in October on the same block.
In December 2024, six vacant homes were damaged during a fire nearby, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department.
In October, two adults died, and multiple families were displaced after a five-alarm fire on the same block of Keswick Road.
The fires displaced dozens of residents and damaged Pathway Fellowship FMC after it had just finished renovations earlier in the year.
"But we still can't use the rest of our building yet, because it's under construction…our roof needs work," Gibson said. "I want people to know that we are a resilient community. I want them to know that we're not defined by this fire, and that as a result of this fire, I think we've gotten closer."
Community comes together
On Saturday afternoon, Gibson's church threw a block party.
"The theme is 'unity for our community,' and so we're promoting our unity and working together," Gibson said.
The church and the Hampden Community Council teamed up to provide free food, fresh vegetables, school supplies, clothes and more for anyone who needs it.
"The fire department is here, the health department is here. So, we wanted to do a holistic event," Gibson explained. "In addition to the fun, we also wanted to provide information to people and make sure they were able to get the resources that are available to them."
"We often show up when the community is at its worst, right, when somebody is experiencing a serious emergency," said Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace. "Today, myself and 21 members of the fire department are out here to be a part of the recovery effort, which is really part of what we do."
Gibson told WJZ that although the fires may have left burnt pieces, they did not destroy their faith.
"God is good, and so we are pressing on, and we are rebuilding," Gibson said.
Pathway Fellowship has been back in the church for about three weeks, Gibson said, but parts of it are still under construction as the investigation into the cause of the May fire continues.
