BALTIMORE — An internal investigative report obtained by The Baltimore Banner found that the Baltimore Fire Department was understaffed and using aging equipment and outdated training standards when two firefighters died in an October 2023 rowhouse fire.
Acting Capt. Dillon Rinaldo, 26, and Firefighter/EMT Rodney Pitts III, 31, were killed battling the blaze on Linden Heights Avenue in Northwest Baltimore. Their deaths were part of a span of less than two years in which five Baltimore firefighters died fighting fires.
The Linden Heights fire report has not been publicly released and was shared earlier in 2026 only with family members and other stakeholders.
“I think there were mistakes made and they won’t admit it,” Geraldine Rinaldo, Dillon’s mother, said. “I don’t want any other moms to go through this.”
Geraldine Rinaldo told The Banner that city fire officials visited her and her husband in early March to share the report. She said her husband, a fire chief in New Jersey, questioned what he saw as discrepancies in its findings.
The Banner asked on March 24 why the report had not been released. A department spokesperson acknowledged the request but did not answer follow-up questions. The department also denied a public records request, saying the report was not final.
The president of the fire officers’ union, IAFF Local 964, said they still have not seen the report.
“The only thing I can say for certain is that we have been patiently waiting for it, asking for it, and being told it’s coming,” Josh Fannon told The Banner. “But the waiting game has been going on a long time.”
Matthew Coster, president of IAFF Local 734, said he is working with the fire chief to learn when the report will be released.
The roughly 300-page report, dated Feb. 19, described a “catastrophic failure” involving breathing equipment and said the department had been teaching tactics that were out of step with the modern fire environment, according to The Banner. The report also said some changes had already been made, while other fixes were still in progress.
In a cover letter, Fire Chief James Wallace said an internal Board of Inquiry examined the fire to determine how the department could improve training, policies, communication and readiness to prevent another tragedy.
The report found that Rinaldo and Pitts were likely exposed to temperatures above 1,000 degrees, according to The Banner. Investigators said their entry through the front door appeared to increase ventilation and intensify conditions inside, and evidence showed the nozzle was not opened as they moved forward. The report noted the firefighters had not been trained on using water flow to cool gases and reduce flashover risk.
“They were not exposed to or instructed on the tactic of flowing water while advancing to the seat of the fire necessary for the modern fire environment,” the report said.
The Banner reported that Baltimore began training on “flow-and-move” techniques in September 2024. Firefighters interviewed during the inquiry described the blaze as one of the hottest they had ever encountered, and investigators found the heat contributed to catastrophic failures in the two men’s breathing equipment.
The board said the department should send more firefighters to fire scenes so supervisors can focus on command instead of frontline tasks. It also found that thermal imaging cameras were underused, and many newer officers lacked formal training on the equipment.
