I just uploaded a short movie of the fire, taken from my deck across the river. The fire was NOT in the main hospital building.

go to youtube.com and search Ft Howard fire

Just devastating. Wouldn't it be nice if the hospital was still open to serve our veterans. It makes you feel a sense of pride to know that it was part of our community.

No. We have a "State of the Art" VA Hospital in downtown Baltimore

Ft. Howard was - and should be - a long term care physical rehab facility. Most medical procedures - such as operations - are performed at the Greene St. VA Hospital - your "State of the Art" VA Hospital in downtown Baltimore. The former Loch Raven VA Hospital is now The Loch Raven VA Community Living & Rehabilitation Center. That hospital used to do most of the medical procedures, such as operations, and Ft. Howard provided long term care. Loch Raven is a nice facility, but it sure isn't the outstanding and wholesome place that Ft. Howard was - could and should be.

Very suspicious judging by the size of the fire (possible accelerants) in a area that is involved in a contentious zoning issue.

You got that right Buzz!

Strange how abandoned buildings at the center of contested redevelopment plans seem to keep busting into flames in the area?

How man fires were there at Seagram's? Double figures I believe and how many were clarified as arson?

This was a very intense fire which means it had some help. As far as I know none of these types of fires were ever solved. A lot of questions that need answers.

A $550 million project is worthy of careful scrutiny.

More conspiracy nonsense. What would be the advantage to burning it down?

None.

Coming from someone who uses three names and thought Fast and Furious was the same issue your claim doesn't carry much weight. The building was under renovations at the time of the fire.

Have you ever heard of insurance?

LOL You can't get insurance on a vacant, half falling down structure.

"Fast and Furious was the same issue"???? Same issue as what?? That's nonsense.

The building that burned at Ft. Howard looks to be one of the duplex officers residences. It was built circa 1902 to house the officers and families of the Coast Artillery Corps units that were being located at the recently opened installation. Ft. Howard was constructed at the mouth of the Patapsco in 1898 to protect Baltimore from attack by enemy naval vessels. It's a shame that part of the rich historical legacy of Ft. Howard was lost in the fire. If the benign neglect of the property by the VA is allowed to continue, I'm sure this fire won't be the last. Let's hope the development of the property is allowed to proceed and remaining fort period buildings are rescued and repurposed.

It really upsets me about the Fire. That is such a beautiful area it has so much potential. I really hope they keep the area secure so one day it can be restored and every one can enjoy it.

I was at Rock Hall over the weekend and could see the flames and the orange glow in the sky from there.

We are so rich in history in Dundalk and Edgemere. It would be nice if we could restore and maintain the history. There are a lot of history buffs who would love to visit these sites. Instead the buildings/areas are left to deteriorate. Shame.

Thinking like an investigator, you would have to consider the possibility that the fire last Saturday night may have been set by someone wanting to draw attention to the situation at Ft. Howard. That situation being that the developers want to build 1.400 or more - "veterans preferred" - residential units, a few medical facilities, plus retail sales stores and commercial office spaces on the Ft. Howard VA property; and the development project has been stalled for quite a while now, because the surrounding community is only OK with 400 residential units and medical facilities for veterans only.

The buildings on Ft. Howard are steadily deteriorating from weather damages and natural rot, and they have been savagely vandalized. Many of those buildings are mandated to be fixed up to look just like they did when they were built - a millennium ago. The longer they rot and fall apart, the more it will cost the developers to fix them up. And one burnt down is one less to have to rehab.

The developers can't make money off of the project until construction work has begun on it. Setting fire to one of those buildings could possibly spur the VA and other government entities into action and give the developers the "go" on beginning to do the project the proposed massive development way, and not the best way for the community.

I do not believe this to be the case, but you can bet that arson investigators must consider all of that, as a possibility for why the fire was set.

What I believe is - and what I bet arson investigators figure is - the most probable case is that the fire was set by an arsonist for psychopathic reasons.

You may not know this, but, there was a fire set in the main hospital building last year. It puzzles me why, because it doesn't seem to me that the main building is constructed of materials that easily burn. And the fire caused repairable damage.

Ever since Ft. Howard became known near and far as "an abandoned old property", I - and I am sure many other people - have expected such a arson-probable complete conflagration of one or more of Ft. Howard's old wooden buildings. I have written a lot about Ft. Howard, which has been published near and far on the Internet. I have expressed grave concerns about the property. But I purposely never mentioned my fear of arson happening there - my full expectation of arson happening there. I did not want to alert an experienced arsonist, or a potential arsonist, to the easy possibilities of an arson being a success there. Success to the arsonist, who derives demented pleasures and satisfactions from setting fires.

Like I said, it's easy to figure that a lot of people - Ft. Howard area residents, VA employees, vets going to the Ft. Howard VA Medical Clinic, anyone who has been there or is aware of the situation - a lot of people felt that an arson was expected. And we know that more should have been done to prevent it.

Security at Ft. Howard is avoidably sparse.

I hope they do something soon. Its such a beautiful area to be able to share with people visiting.

I just ran across a good video about Ft. Howard on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn6KFCwFwkM&feature=player_embedded

Steve the You Tube you found was the made by the developers and is posted on their site. It's a promo for the developers.

It's still a nice video about the place.

There are huge problems with the infrastructure per BG&E and water. BG&E advised the wiring must go underground and the current water lines won't accommodate a development of that size.

It was also noted at the various community meetings that this cost would be incurred by the tax payers and not the developers.

They are having trouble raising money and as of yet not complied with the VA requirements as per the EUL. In fact there is a federal audit revealing the many problems with the issuance's of these leases.

Once the developers meet the requirements it has to go before congress for a vote.

That's just a bunch of here say. How do you know they are having trouble raising money?

More Rumor mongering.

If you read my blog you would know. I have one in the works dealing with the same issue.

You never do your due diligence and that is why you are wrong most of the time.

You don't know if they are having trouble with financing. They aren't going to tell you and neither are the banks.

There aren't "huge problems" with the infrastructure. There's no more of a "huge problem" then with any other development of this size.

Are there "huge problems" with the infrastructure for the proposed 500 residential units, a shopping center and a town center being built on Sparrow Point Country Club property? There is no existing infrastructure there.

I do know they are having trouble and again you are flat out WRONG. The country club has no plans to build a shopping center and a town center.

They did not tell me anything but the people who were involved did. I even sent a e-mail to the councilman asking for his reply to the issue and he failed to respond which is strange because he was there.

When are you going to learn to think before you write a comment. You have huge lapses in the facts and no knowledge of them to begin with.

I would love to see new housing built on the Sparrows Point Country club property.. Sounds like a great idea..

I've been holding off on writing about Ft. Howard Developers Tim Munshell and Carl Williams - since web searching them last fall. I have given time for new info to come out - possible positive info that will let us know the Ft. Howard project is a go and is going to be done right. I just did another web search on Munshell and Williams and found mostly just the same stuff on them as was on the web last year. They are written up as potential developers for a major project in Prince George's County - Metroview - but there is no new news about progress on that project. Not even on the Carl Williams Group website: http://tcwg.net/metroview.html

And Carl Williams owes back taxes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/developer-of-maryland-housing-office-in-prince-georges-has-financial-troubles/2011/12/21/gIQAnUS8SP_story.html

I don't know how Munshell and Williams can be expected to handle two massive, muti-use, residential and commercial development projects as Ft. Howard and Metroview, when they do not appear to have any experience at completing one previous such project.

If they had plenty of financial strength, they'd be making something happen at Ft. Howard. I know they want to roll right over top of the community's idea of 400 residential units and medical facilities for vets only and cram a crowded, noisy, polluting, infrastructure stressing development onto Ft. Howard.

I need Ft. Howard. I want to photograph the project's progress, and make some money off of all my Ft. Howard area photos ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/ursusdave/sets/72157625132535377/ ). I'd like to help clean out the VAMC buildings and save historically significant items. I want to live there, welcome other residents into the community, show them the best of Southeast Baltimore County.

My life dwells in a dismal ditch, which a - reasonable sized - veterans residential area and medical center on Ft. Howard could pull me out of. I am a U.S. Army Veteran barely surviving on a meager VA Disability Pension. And I'm doing better in life than some other vets. Lots of us vets and our loved ones need Ft. Howard to be redeveloped to a reasonable degree, and not to the point where everyone living and working on Ft. Howard feels like they're in a small, crowded city, not out on a beautiful peninsula with a fair amount of open space to enjoy.

The VA has grossly mismanaged Ft. Howard. I have tried to get vets and those who care about vets anywhere and everywhere to understand that the Veterans Administration has declared that Ft. Howard is the beginning of, and their example of, how other VA properties across America will be re-purposed and redeveloped. But no one seems to care about any VA property not close to their home.

The VA's mismanagement of Ft. Howard VA Property is all of America's problem, not just Southeast Baltimore County's.

David, I think there is a host of problems involving Fort Howard. First they have not complied with the requirements required by the VA.. There are at least 10 letters of intervention filed by various members of the community that must be answered by the VA. To date they have not.

I interviewed the VA on these issues and was told we can't comment on that. The government wrote a scathing audit on the VA's handling of these EUL's which will probably wind up before congress since the VA's authority to sign such leases expired 12/31/11.

The VA spokesperson did say the Munshell group was given an extension to meat the requirements but that too is questionable. The VA's own data base is outdated and reveals the wrong information on Fort Howard. They said they are working on that.

There are money issues as I pointed out in a blog and new information has come forward of additional verification of that issue.

There are traffic studies that should have been released by the developers and have not. There are infrastructures issues that have not been addressed.

And finally congress has to vote on the issue which could be a problem.

Thank you so much for your work in staying on top of this for the community!! I have friends that belong to the Millers Island Association that are very worried about this develepment as well and have all the same concerns. So hard to keep the developers honest nowadays!