Blaze Kills 9 Firefighters at Charleston Furniture Store

Jun 20, 04:29 AM

Current Headlines: By RICK BRUNDRETT

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Charleston County coroner's office on Tuesday identified the nine firefighters killed in the worst single incident to claim U.S. firefighters' lives since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The firefighters were trapped and killed Monday night after the roof collapsed in a fire at a Sofa Super Store in Charleston.

"We've lost over 100 years of service," said Charleston fire Chief Rusty Thomas at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

"I lost nine of my best friends."

Thomas has been fire chief for 20 years and a firefighter with the department since he was 18 years old, said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley.

He wore a black band over his fire badge.

"Just like 9/11, we will never forget these nine firefighters who lost their lives last night," Thomas said.

At least seven other firefighters were trapped initially, but they managed to escape the building, Thomas said.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said she did not have an official cause of death for the firefighters because autopsies were not yet complete.

The firefighters' bodies were found throughout the warehouse, Thomas said, but he did not give precise locations or their proximity to each other.

He said it was too early to give a sequence of events leading up to the deaths.

The building did not have a sprinkler system.

Thomas said that had such a system been in place, it would probably have slowed the fire down.

Several windows at the front of the store blew out, but Thomas said he didn't know if that was caused by backdraft, an explosive phenomenon caused by the sudden introduction of oxygen to a fire or some other factor.

The fire department received an unconfirmed call Monday night that someone was inside the building.

Two employees in the building were rescued from the blaze, which broke out at about 7 p.m. Monday in the Sofa Super Store and warehouse, Riley said.

Firefighters punched a hole through a wall of the warehouse to reach them.

Charleston County Emergency Services director Don Lundy said EMS workers knew "some people were in trouble," after learning that there were missing firefighters.

Riley said the story has touched hearts across the country because people respect the sacrifices firefighters make.

"This time yesterday they were firefighters," Riley said. "This time today, they are heroic, historic figures."

President Bush issued a statement sending condolences to the families of the fallen firefighters.

"These firefighters were true heroes who demonstrated great skill and courage," the president said. "Their unwavering commitment to their neighbors and to the city of Charleston is an inspiration to all Americans."

Columbia fire Chief Bradley Anderson said firefighters across the state are ready to mobilize in Charleston but that the Charleston firefighters don't want to leave their posts.

"Right now, Charleston firefighters on duty in those stations appear to be clamoring to be at work rather than be at home," said Anderson, who is serving on a task force made up of fire chiefs from across South Carolina to provide support to the Charleston Fire Department.

The National Fire Protection Association said the Charleston fire was the worst single incident to claim firefighters' lives since the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed 340 firefighters, two paramedics and a chaplain.

It was the deadliest fire in South Carolina since a 1979 blaze killed 11 people in the Lancaster County jail.

Lt. Peter Rogers with the Awendaw Fire Department worked at the scene of the fire, doing everything from providing water and shelter for fellow firefighters to manning water lines.

Rogers responded as part of Charleston County's Rescue Squad.

He thought he knew two of the deceased firefighters, who had been in the profession for a long time.

"It was intense -- a lot of firefighters were working desperately to save their own," Rogers said.

When he arrived at 7:45 p.m. Monday, he said, there were easily 100 firefighters on scene, but that number had tripled by the time he left at 4:30 a.m.

Although the fire had been out for several hours, the faint smell of smoke was still in the air.

Rogers said fuel load -- in this case materials such as the furniture in the warehouse -- may have contributed to the roof's collapsing and trapping the firefighters.

Firefighters, police officers and other rescue workers saluted as the bodies were carried from the warehouse during the night.

"To lose nine is just a tragedy of immense proportions," Riley said.

"To lose nine is just unbelievable."

The cause of the fire was under investigation, but Riley said arson was not suspected.

He said the blaze apparently started in a storage area.

When the roof collapsed, it threw debris over about two-dozen rescue workers.

Onlookers were hit with flying ash.

"It was like a 30-foot tornado of flames," said Mark Hilton, who was struck in his eye.

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