Baltimore arts building shuttered days after Oakland fire

Baltimore officials have shut down an arts building for safety violations and evicted dozens of tenants three days after a fire at a California warehouse-turned artists’ enclave killed three dozen people.

The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/2h11FWs ) officials boarded up the two-story Bell Foundry arts building on Monday.

Fire department spokesman Roman Clark says inspectors responding to a complaint found no valid permit, unsafe conditions and other violations.

City housing department spokeswoman Tania Baker says tenants may not use the building again until the building is up to code.

The Bell Foundry is located in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, which was designated in 2002.

A fire broke out late Friday in a cluttered Oakland, California, warehouse that had been converted into artists’ studios, killing 36 people.

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This story has been corrected to show that the Bell Foundry is located in an arts and entertainment district, but was not itself designated as an arts space.

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com