Governor Moore and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott Update on Response to Diesel Fuel Spill in Harbor East
BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, June 5, 2025) — Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott this evening issued the following update regarding the fuel spill in Harbor East.
The State of Maryland, City of Baltimore, and United States Coast Guard have been engaged in a coordinated response since approximately 2 PM, pooling resources to evaluate, respond to, and contain the spill. The scene remains active, with representatives from the following state and municipal agencies onsite:
- Office of the Governor
- Maryland Department of the Environment
- Maryland Department of Emergency Management
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources
- Maryland Department of General Services
- Baltimore City Mayor’s Office
- Baltimore City Fire Department
- Baltimore City Police Department
- Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management
- Baltimore City Department of Public Works
- Baltimore City Department of Transportation
The Coast Guard is in charge of command and is actively investigating the scene. The public is asked to stay clear from the area in an effort to help responders on scene.
The approximate incident timeline, as currently known:
- 11:03 AM - Johns Hopkins Hospital reported a contained 200 gallon diesel spill at their facility in East Baltimore.
- 12:58 PM - The Baltimore City Fire Department was dispatched to respond to a 911 call for a diesel fuel spill in a marina in Harbor East.
- 2:00 PM - The State of Maryland, City of Baltimore, and U.S. Coast Guard stood up a coordinated response.
- 6:48 PM - Hopkins updated their report to reflect a 2,000 gallon uncontained spill.
Officials preliminarily identified the source of the spill as a Johns Hopkins Hospital facility at 1780 East Fayette Street, roughly 1.3 miles from the site of the leak. Johns Hopkins Hospital believes with a high degree of confidence that the spill is approximately 2,000 gallons. Hopkins is engaged in response and is coordinating with agencies on scene.
The spill is contained in the marina at the South Central Avenue Bridge in Harbor East, in an area roughly 100 x 250 yards. The water is red due to dye in the diesel fuel. There is no impact to drinking water in the area.
The Coast Guard is working with contractor Miller Environmental Group on cleanup efforts, using oil absorbent materials and skimmers feeding into a 4,000-gallon pump truck. The state and city are maximizing efforts to draw additional contractors to the site to aid in response.
Containment and cleanup efforts will continue through the night. Traffic impacts include closures from Central Avenue to Fleet Street. The city expects continued traffic pattern disruptions well into tomorrow and encourages motorists to use alternate routes away from this area in Harbor East. Transportation Enforcement Officers will be assisting with the movement of traffic during Thursday morning’s peak hour travel time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
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