Curtis Bay fuel oil spill leaves residents sick, angry, unwarned

A fuel oil spill in Curtis Bay sent a strong chemical odor across roughly a half-mile of Pennington Avenue, leaving residents with sore throats, burning eyes and the sense that they were left to protect themselves. The spill happened on June 3, 2026, and neighbors said the smell was like gasoline mixed with burning oil. By the time cleanup crews covered the road with sand to soak up the fuel, many people said they had already been exposed for hours.

Carlos Sanchez of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust said he felt itching and burning in the back of his throat before he even reached the block. He said people were outside breathing the fumes, including students, while the spill was still being addressed. Residents described the scene as a health problem first and a traffic problem second, with the odor hanging over homes and storefronts as cleanup got underway.

What angered neighbors just as much as the fumes was the lack of warning. Community leaders said they learned about the spill by talking to one another, not through an official notice telling people to shelter in place or avoid the area. The Maryland Department of the Environment confirmed by afternoon that Petroleum Recovery and Remediation Management, Inc., known as PMI, was the source. About 200 gallons spilled, according to the reporting.

The spill landed in a neighborhood already wary of PMI. The company’s Curtis Avenue site at 5218 Curtis Avenue suffered a fatal fire in 2022, when worker Earnest Cooper died. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health’s inspection record for the site opened March 7, 2022, and lists nine violations with a current penalty of $5,800 after informal settlement. For Curtis Bay residents, that history made the June 3 spill feel less like an isolated accident than another warning sign.

That broader distrust has been building for years. In a 2025 letter, the Community of Curtis Bay Association said PMI’s proposed tank installation near homes and a school raised grave concerns for students, staff and families. The group has also pressed for an air pollution emergency in Curtis Bay after an acid leak, diesel spill, deadly petroleum fire and coal explosion, arguing that the neighborhood is being asked to absorb too many industrial risks at once.

The spill also sits inside a wider regulatory picture. Maryland’s Oil Control Program oversees aboveground and underground oil storage facilities, oil-contaminated soil treatment facilities and oil transportation, placing spills like this squarely under state environmental enforcement. In December 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also received $250,000 to advance remediation at W.R. Grace Curtis Bay Works, another reminder that South Baltimore remains crowded with cleanup sites, active hazards and residents still waiting for basic warning and accountability.