BALTIMORE — More large-scale protests are planned this weekend in Baltimore, and city leaders are preparing for massive crowds.
The police presence is already overwhelming. Now, fire crews are bulking up their ranks as well.
Fire agencies from other jurisdictions will be stationed in Baltimore.
“There is going to be a larger presence of outside agencies so in case something does happen, we don’t have to wait for them to come here,” says John Burke, Secretary-Treasurer with the city firefighters union.
The protests could potentially draw thousands of people.
“Hopefully they’re just protests and not riots,” he says.
During the rioting Monday night, Baltimore fire crews were stretched thin. There were 15 structure fires and more than 100 vehicle fires.
“They were in the middle of a 24-hour shift and they were up all night long, so it was very exhausting,” Burke said.
