Baltimore fire and transportation officials still don’t know why the city has experienced a spate of underground fires this year, and some City Council members worry residents’ safety is at risk.

There have been 10 underground fires in the city in the past year, Councilman Mark Conway said. Most recently, a Sept. 29 subterranean blaze in the 300 block of North Charles Street exploded manhole covers, torched a bookstore, displaced residents and temporarily closed Mick O’Shea’s, a beloved downtown Irish pub. And that was just on that block. The fire also knocked out key city services and disrupted internet to Mount Vernon residents for days. It was the third fire along a three-block stretch of road since January.

At a Wednesday hearing of City Council’s Public Safety and Government Operations committee, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said the department hasn’t been able to figure out what caused the September fire, and it’s possible it never will.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: City still searching for cause of underground fires: ‘Can’t guarantee safety’

WYPR and The Baltimore Banner have a joint operating agreement that allows the nonprofit organizations to work collaboratively to deliver quality journalism across the region. To learn more about the partnership, click here.