Homes burn to the ground after Pride flag set on fire: ‘Hate has been unleashed in this country’
Baltimore homes set on fire (Image: @ErininTheMorn/Twitter)
Four homes have burned to the ground leaving three people in hospital after “violent anti-LGBTQ+” thugs set fire to a Pride flag.
The fire was set by the assailants on Wednesday morning (15 June) in Baltimore, Maryland, with three of the hospitalised said to have arrived in a critical condition.
Two of the injured have since been released from hospital with the final patient being upgraded to ‘stable’ after all three were treated in the shock trauma unit, according to CBS News reporter Mike Hellgren.
Authorities attended the scene in the 300 block of E. 31st Street where two separate incidents of arson took place. One where a Pride flag was set on fire and another across the street where a home adorned with Pride decorations was similarly ablaze.
Last night, here in Maryland, someone set fire to a pride flag in front of a home. 3 homes burned down.
2 people are in critical condition as a result.
It is being investigated as a hate crime.
It’s scary to see violent anti-LGBTQ hate so close to where I live. pic.twitter.com/QSXWywjBon
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) June 15, 2022
Police commissioner Michael Harrison explained during a news briefing: “This is an ongoing investigation to determine facts, to determine the cause, and right now, we’re not prepared or equipped to determine the cause or the facts of how it started.”
The report came at approximately 4.30 am, with the first unit arriving in seven minutes, according to Fire Chief Niles Ford. The fire was eventually contained before 5.00 am.
Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott said: “My agencies will bring every appropriate resource to bear to get to the bottom of this tragic event. Regardless, I continue to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community.”
Police are treating the fire as a case of malicious burning according to a spokesperson. Investigators are being assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“We’re going to allow them time to do their work,” said mayor Scott. “As they always do in these instances, to make sure that we figure out what actually happened here.”
Several neighbours responded in frustration with the fires, saying to CBS Baltimore that “hate has been unleashed in this country” and asking to just “leave people alone”.
This comes just a day after Detroit’s oldest gay bar was burned. The fire took place at 10.30 am on Tuesday (June 14), with the crew having evacuated everyone in the area to tackle the fire.
