A two-alarm fire at the Battery Warehouse store in the 800 block of Baltimore Boulevard (Route 140) in Westminster drew a massive multi-jurisdiction response Monday evening and closed a stretch of Route 140 through the city. According to CBS Baltimore, Carroll County firefighters were dispatched at about 7:25 p.m. on Monday, May 18, after smoke was seen pouring from the building.
Fox45 News reported that the Upperco Volunteer Fire Company confirmed a second-alarm fire at the store, and that crews from the Westminster Fire Department, Upperco, and several units from Carroll County and Baltimore County were on the scene.
All lanes of Route 140 from Market Street to the Sheetz were shut down as crews worked the fire, and authorities urged the public to stay away from the area. WMAR-2 News reported the closure remained in place into the overnight hours as the response continued.
Carroll County Fire Chief Michael Robinson told CBS Baltimore that more than 130 firefighters responded, and that two Carroll County fire personnel were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries. Hazmat teams from both Carroll and Baltimore counties were called in because the store stocks hazardous materials, including lithium batteries.
"We did identify that we had an active fire in a pallet of batteries," Robinson said, per CBS Baltimore. "We identified them as both lead acid batteries and lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are the most hazardous, and we believe one of them had a condition known as thermal runaway, which is a very dangerous condition."
Thermal runaway in a lithium-ion cell can trigger a self-sustaining chain reaction of heat and fire that is difficult to extinguish with water alone, which is why hazmat resources are typically called to battery-related fires of this scale.
Speaking from the scene to WJZ's Drew Aunkst on the 11 p.m. broadcast, Chief Robinson said the batteries are believed to have exploded inside the building — "oftentimes when these batteries catch on fire they can explode, and he believes that is what happened here tonight as well," Aunkst reported.
Robinson emphasized that crews had been air-monitoring throughout the response and that there was "absolutely no danger whatsoever to the public," with any hazard isolated to the scene and within about a 100-foot perimeter of the building.
By 11 p.m., WJZ reported no visible flames at the scene but a lingering smell of smoke and chemicals in the air, with roughly 130 first responders still on hand and Route 140 expected to remain shut down for about two more hours.
The two injured Carroll County firefighters are expected to be okay, according to fire officials. No civilian injuries were reported, and as of late Monday night, the cause of the fire had not been released. The Westminster Fire Department shared photos from the scene that were carried by Fox45 and WMAR-2.
What we know so far
Location: Battery Warehouse, 800 block of Baltimore Boulevard (Route 140), Westminster
Time of dispatch: approximately 7:25 p.m., Monday, May 18, 2026
Alarms: Second alarm
Response: 130+ firefighters from Westminster, Carroll County, Baltimore County, and the Upperco Volunteer Fire Company, plus hazmat teams from Carroll and Baltimore counties
Injuries: Two Carroll County firefighters were transported with heat-related injuries, expected to be okay; no civilian injuries were reported
Hazards on scene: lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries; at least one cell in thermal runaway, and the chief believes batteries exploded inside the building
Public safety: air monitoring conducted; no danger to the public outside a ~100-foot perimeter of the building
Road closure: Route 140 was closed from Market Street to Sheetz and was expected to remain closed for approximately another 2 hours as of 11 PM.
This article was compiled from on-scene reporting by Fox45 News (Ellie Buckheit), CBS Baltimore / WJZ (Adam Thompson, with on-scene reporting by Drew Aunkst and anchor Rick Ritter on the 11 p.m. broadcast), and WMAR-2 News (Travis Case). Scene photos credited to the Westminster Fire Department.
Thanks to TikTok follower Del for the news tip.