Fire at Bayview Golf Center Injures Firefighter, Destroys Building

BALTIMORE — A two-alarm fire tore through the Bayview Golf Center on Sunday evening, injuring one firefighter and destroying the popular facility. The fire ignited around 6:30 p.m. in the 6500 block of East Lombard Street, near Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Manager Robert Prettyman Jr. reported that he first detected a sweet chemical odor before flames engulfed the wooden walls of the center. ‘I thought it was some teenagers on the back tee boxes, hitting aerosol cans or something; they’d seen it in a movie,’ Prettyman told 11 News.

Thick, dark plumes of smoke rose high into the sky, visible for miles, as strange noises began to emanate from five banks of solar panel backup batteries. ‘The popping and hissing started, and I started looking around. The battery bank just erupted into flames,’ he added. Prettyman attempted to extinguish the fire using several fire extinguishers, but the flames continued to grow.

Fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the blaze. Prettyman suspects that overloaded backup solar batteries may have led to the fire, noting that the batteries had been functioning for over four years without incident. ‘When they get too much sun, too much on the solar panels, they start to overcharge,’ Prettyman stated.

Despite the chaos, no customers or staff were injured. A firefighter was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Witnesses reported hearing sirens and saw smoke billowing into the sky.

Local customer Forrest Warman expressed his disappointment at the loss, saying, ‘It’s terrible. I couldn’t really believe it offhand, so I had to come see it for myself. It’s really unfortunate.’ Another local resident, Theresa Cavey, reflected on the community impact, stating, ‘It’s just a shame, because a lot of people appreciated it and went there.’

Prettyman confirmed that the owner plans to demolish the facility and initiate a rebuilding process once the investigation concludes. ‘I spoke to Mr. J, he said he is going to rebuild it. So we’ll be back,’ he said.