Baltimore firefighters battled a four-alarm fire in a vacant warehouse near the Woodberry light rail station late Thursday night.

Southbound Interstate 83 reopened overnight after it was shut down at Northern Parkway as dense smoke blew across the highway, according to the Baltimore Office of Emergency Management. The fire also closed the light rail and the 41st Street bridge, the office said.

More than 120 firefighters in 39 firetrucks and other vehicles responded about 9 p.m., said Blair Adams, a Fire Department spokeswoman.

Crews broke open the building's boarded-up windows and used a ladder truck to aim a fire hose above the fire. Firefighters battled the fire from the exterior of the vacant building because it was potentially unstable inside, according to Adams.

The building, with a smokestack visible from I-83, was the former Schenuit Tire factory and was slated for redevelopment. It is in the 1700 block of Union Ave.

Conor Creaney of Remington Properties, a co-owner of the building, said he bought it about a year ago, but put it on the market last month after the owners decided not to do the redevelopment themselves.

"We don't have much information on what happened," he said late Thursday. "We spoke to fire investigators. The best they could tell us was to get in touch in the morning."

Adams had no timetable for when I-83 and the light rail would reopen. The highway was open in time for Friday's commute.

No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Union Craft brewing, Woodberry Kitchen and other buildings nearby were not affected by the fire.

cwells@baltsun.com

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