Tragic news in the Lowcountry

Reba

Reba

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Very tragic news for the SC Lowcountry today. :(

Nine Firefighters Killed In West Ashley Fire

"They lost their lives fighting for the safety of our citizens." That's how Charleston Mayor Joe Riley has summed up a tragic story out of West Ashley this morning. "To lose anyone is a tragedy," Riley said. "To lose nine is just a tragedy of immense proportions."

Nine firefighters have beeen killed while fighting a massive fire at the Sofa Superstore off Savannah Highway, city fire officials have confirmed. Nine bodies have been pulled from the scene and taken to MUSC for identification. No information on the identities of the firefighters who were unaccounted for has been made public.

Riley says arson is not expected to be the cause of the fire, but said that local and federal authorities are investigating the scene. He said that early reports indicated that two employees were initially inside the building when the fire started, and that firefighters had to punch a hole into the building to get them out.

"This is the most tragic reminder of their profession and what they are willing to do," Riley said at a Tuesday morning press conference. "In my time as mayor, we haven't had a fire like this. To lose nine is unbelievable."

The fire broke out late Monday afternoon, shutting down part of Highway 17 near Wappoo Road. By 7:00pm, flames were spotted shooting from the roof and thick black smoke billowed into the sky and could be seen as far away as James Island.

Local residents and bystanders attempted to assist firefighters contain the fire. Some moved hoses and directed traffic. A man who lived behind the building tried to help fight the fire with a garden hose.

One of the witnesses told Live 5 News that he was about thirty yards away from the building when it collapsed and said that the building appeared to just sink to the ground....

Nine Firefighters Killed In West Ashley Fire | Live 5 news | Local News


http://charleston.net/photos/galleries/2007/jun/18/sofa_super_store_fire/
 
Very sad :(

My thought continue for them and their families. :(
 
Yea, I saw that in the news..very tragic! Thanks for sharing this.
 
Thank you all.

Hubby knows the owner of the store and some of the workers. He's been to that store and in the warehouse many times.

We know the fire chief, Rusty Thomas. His dad used to be the Charleston fire chief before him. We also know his brother, Tommy Thomas, another fire fighter. I don't know if we know any of the fire fighters who died. They haven't released the names yet. This is a very sad day for our community. Charleston is a city but in some ways it's more like a small town where everyone knows each other.
 
It's been a very sad day. :(

It was sad watching the firemen and friends lined up saluting the bodies being brought out, one by one, from the collapsed building. :cry:

It was sad listening to all their friends talk about the dead fire fighters.

It was sad driving around town today, and seeing the flags at half mast, and the memorials set up at each fire station. :tears:

Charleston, SC Breaking News, Weather, Business, and Sports | Charleston.Net
 
Awww, that's sad news. :( That news reminded me of few firefighters killed in the wildfire in East WA state few years ago.
 
Nine 'courageous firefighters' die in warehouse blaze
Nine 'courageous firefighters' die in warehouse blaze - CNN.com

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- An inferno raced through a Charleston, South Carolina, furniture warehouse, collapsing its roof and killing nine firefighters in a tragedy that the city's mayor described Tuesday as "difficult to fathom."

"They lost their lives fighting for the safety of our citizens," Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said.

Two employees were able to get out safely, but the fire, which began Monday night, quickly spread through the Sofa Super Store, causing part of the building to collapse. (Map)

Firefighters had to break an opening in the back of the store to allow one of the workers out of the burning building, Riley said. (Gallery)

"Nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston have perished fighting a fire, and in a most courageous and fearless manner, carrying out their duties," Riley said. "This is a tragic event for our community, the magnitude of which is difficult to fathom or quantify." (Watch a witness describe firefighters escaping through windows )

The International Association of Fire Chiefs called on all firefighters to observe a moment of silence at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday to honor the nine who died.

The victims, their ages and their years of service are:


Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48 (30 years)


Capt. Mike Benke, 49 (29 years)


Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34 (11½ years)


Engineer Mark Kelsey, 40 (12½ years)


Engineer Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37 (9 years)


Assistant engineer Michael French, 27 (1½ years)


Firefighter James "Earl" Drayton, 56 (32 years)


Firefighter Brandon Thompson, 27 (4 years)


Firefighter Melven Champaign, 46 (2 years)

"We lost over a hundred years of service to the city of Charleston Fire Department, over a hundred years of dedicated service," Riley said. "To the families who gave them to us, we protected them as much as we could. They did exactly what they were trained to do. I can't say enough of these nine guys. They were my friends. I lost nine of my best friends."

Witnesses said more than 20 fire personnel were buried in the collapse, and flying ash hit bystanders, according to AP.

"It was like a 30-foot tornado of flames," Mark Hilton, who was struck in the eye, told The Associated Press.

Near Charleston's main firehouse, people left notes and flowers at the base of a monument to the firefighters Tuesday, according to AP.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you and your families," said one note the AP cited. "We are deeply saddened and want you all to know that we value your bravery and thank you for putting your lives on the line to keep us all safe. God bless you all."

In Washington, President Bush and first lady Laura Bush described the firefighters as "true heroes who demonstrated great skill and courage."

State and federal officials are investigating the cause of the fire, but Riley said there is no initial indication of foul play or arson.

Firefighters and other rescue workers formed a double line and saluted as their comrades' bodies were carried from the charred remains of the building. (Watch colleagues' solemn salutes as the fallen firefighters' bodies are brought out )

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

The deaths are the single greatest loss of American firefighters in the line of duty since the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to statistics compiled by firehouse.com. The attack on New York's World Trade Center resulted in the deaths of 343 firefighters.

The mayor said he didn't know whether the structure had sprinklers, but he said they would not have helped much. "A fire that gets going quickly enough is beyond any sprinkler system's capacity to put it out in a building like this," Riley said.

Store owner Herb Goldstein told the AP in a statement that everyone at the business is "devastated and heartbroken by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the heroic firefighters who lost their lives."

It is the first time Charleston has lost a firefighter in the line of duty in at least 10 years, Charleston firefighter Lt. Chad Watson said.

Most of the bodies were found in the rear of the building, Watson said, where flames caused the collapse of large shelves that held heavy furniture.

"The fire burned so hot so fast that those [shelves] all collapsed, and that's where the majority of the fatalities" occurred, Watson said.

Eric Glover, a Charleston firefighter who worked the blaze, said the loss of his colleagues was difficult to bear.

Glover and other firefighters were participating in a golf tournament to benefit the family of another colleague who recently had died when they were alerted about Monday's blaze. The building's roof had collapsed by the time Glover arrived.

"You're always close to the guys because you spend a third of your life with these guys," Glover said. "Then you spend time outside of the job with them. You're pretty close."

Daniel Shahid, who works at a nearby car dealership, told AP that dealership employees helped carry hoses and direct traffic. He said the fire quickly spread throughout the building, which collapsed less than 30 minutes after the blaze began.

"It collapsed so fast that there was no opportunity for anybody that was in there to even think about getting out," Shahid told CNN's "American Morning."

He told AP he saw firefighters rescue four people from the building.

"They were struggling. They were covered in black soot. They looked scared out of their minds," he told AP.

The collapse "came from nowhere," Shahid told CNN. "It was a standing structure, and five seconds later it was on the ground."
 
Nine firefighters killed in furniture store blaze
Nine firefighters killed in furniture store blaze - Yahoo! News

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Nine firefighters died battling a blaze that raced through a furniture store and warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday night, triggering a rolling ball of smoke and flames that destroyed the roof and pelted onlookers with hot ash.

The warehouse was packed with furniture and the blaze "rolled through it like a fireball" while the firefighters tried to put it out, said Pam Blevins, secretary to the Charleston city fire chief, Russell Thomas.

"All we know is nine firefighters, all at once ..." Blevins told Reuters by telephone on Tuesday, choking up with emotion. "The building collapsed on them."

The tragedy was the single-worst loss of firefighters since 343 firefighters and paramedics died in New York on September 11 while searching for survivors in the World Trade Center towers before they collapsed, the U.S. Fire Administration said.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said the magnitude of the loss for the South Carolina city was "difficult to fathom or quantify."

"But what we know is that nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston have perished fighting fire in a most courageous and fearless manner," Riley told a news conference with the ruins of the warehouse-store smoldering behind him.

The fire began at about 6:30 p.m. (2230 GMT) at the Sofa Super Store around 5 miles west of the city's historic district, the fire department said. The front of the store collapsed just over an hour later.

"It was like a 30-foot (9-metre) tornado of flames," said Mark Hilton, who was standing nearby.

Mayor Riley said two employees were in the building at the time and firefighters broke through a wall to rescue them.

Other witnesses said they saw firefighters drag four people from the building.

"They were covered in black soot," said Daniel Shahid, a salesman for a nearby car dealer. "They looked scared out of their minds."

People left flowers on the sidewalk outside the ruins of the store on Tuesday morning.

The mayor said a full investigation would be carried out into the blaze. Arson was not suspected, he said.
 
Charleston Mourns Its Fallen Firefighters
Charleston Mourns Its Fallen Firefighters, South Carolina City Remembers Nine Men Killed In Massive Furniture Store Blaze - CBS News

(CBS/AP) One of the men coached football when he wasn't fighting fires. One cut hair at a barbershop, and another was known for quoting the Bible. They called each other nicknames like "Squirrel" and "Lightning."

On Tuesday, this city on the South Carolina coast mourned them all: nine firefighters killed inside a burning furniture store in the nation's worst loss of firefighters since Sept. 11.

Said fire chief Rusty Thomas: "They did exactly what they were trained to do."

In Monday's fire, that meant entering the building in search of two employees who had been reported in emergency calls to be trapped inside.

Thomas said later that only one employee was believed to have been trapped, and that the employee made it out alive. The cause of the fire at the Sofa Super Store was under investigation, though arson was not suspected.

Soon after the firefighters entered, flames swept the warehouse, blowing out windows and collapsing the roof.

"We've lost nine of our best friends. We've lost nine of our best firefighters," Thomas told CBS' The Early Show Wednesday, adding that he was privileged to have such a "personal bond" with his staff.

The men ranged in age from 27 to 56 and together had 131 years of experience with the Charleston Fire Department.

At 56, James "Earl" Drayton, known around the fire station as "Squirrel," was the oldest of the group. With 32 years on the job, he could have been enjoying retirement.

Michael French was the youngest firefighter at 27, and had joined just 18 months ago.

Melvin Champaign was nicknamed "Pimp Daddy" because of his flashy clothes. But the name belied his love of Bible study.

Capt. Billy Hutchinson, a 30-year veteran, was jokingly tagged "Lightning" because of his slow, deliberate pace. Hutchinson, 48, worked off-duty at a barber shop.

Brad Baity, 37, was a part-time house painter. Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34, helped coach football and basketball players at Summerville High School, where he had played quarterback.

Also killed were Capt. Mike Benke, 49; Mark Kelsey, 40; and Brandon Thompson, 37.

It was the largest loss of firefighters' lives since the Sept. 11 attacks that killed 340, and the deadliest fire in South Carolina since a 1979 blaze that killed 11 people in the Lancaster County jail.

The blaze plunged the city of 106,000 and its 237 surviving firefighters into mourning.

Some firefighters wept. Others fell to their knees, held their heads in their hands, or sat slumped on the bumpers of their fire trucks.

During the blaze, witnesses said they heard some firefighters sending messages to families and praying over radios, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.

Mourners left flowers outside fire stations and state officials ordered flags lowered to half staff. Firefighters draped an American flag over a sign near the front of the store.

President Bush said in a statement the firefighters were "true heroes who demonstrated great skill and courage. Their unwavering commitment to their neighbors and to the city of Charleston is an inspiration to all Americans."

As they searched the building and tried to extinguish the flames, the firefighters had to pick their way through rows of sofas and mattresses stacked five and six high on racks in the cavernous warehouse, a corrugated-metal structure next to a gas station.

Capt. Jeff Harrison said the men might have fallen victim to a flashover, in which gases heat a building and its contents so intensely that they burst into flames.

Buildings with lots of furniture are especially vulnerable, because of the wood lacquer, polyurethane foam and other combustible materials that can reach flashover at a relatively low temperature — sometimes within minutes of a fire's outset.

"When they called it in, the fire wasn't all that large at the time," said Harrison, who lost three of his crew in the fire. "By the time they got there and got inside, they were just trying to make an attack on it and it got enough oxygen in there and flashed over and the whole building went up in flames."

The building had no fire sprinklers and was not required to have them. The fire chief said sprinklers would not have put out the fire but would have at least slowed it.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said the one-story warehouse had a drop ceiling that contained lots of oxygen. That, along with the combustible furniture, made it "a much more complicated building from a firefighting event than one might imagine."
 
Charleston mourns firefighters lost in store inferno
Charleston mourns firefighters lost in store inferno - CNN.com

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) -- One of the men coached football when he wasn't fighting fires. One cut hair at a barbershop, and another was known for quoting the Bible. They called each other nicknames like "Squirrel" and "Lightning."

On Tuesday, this city on the South Carolina coast mourned them all: nine firefighters killed inside a burning furniture store in the nation's worst loss of firefighters since September 11.

Said fire chief Rusty Thomas: "They did exactly what they were trained to do." (Watch mayor's emotional tribute to firefighters )

They went into the burning building on Monday in search of two employees who had been reported to be trapped inside.

One employee made it out. The other, Jonathan Tyrell, said he banged with a hammer, hoping someone would find him before the fire reached him. A firefighter was eventually able to pull him out.

"I hugged him and told him 'thank you' over and over," Tyrell said in an interview aired Wednesday on CBS.

The cause of the fire at the Sofa Super Store was under investigation, though arson was not suspected.

Soon after the firefighters entered, flames swept the warehouse, blowing out windows and collapsing the roof. (Gallery)

"I lost nine of my best friends," said Thomas, choking back tears Tuesday. "To the families, you gave them to us, and we protected them as best as we could."

The men ranged in age from 27 to 56 and together had 131 years of experience with the Charleston Fire Department. (See photographs of the firefighters who died)

At 56, James "Earl" Drayton, known around the fire station as "Squirrel," was the oldest of the group. With 32 years on the job, he could have been enjoying retirement.

Michael French was the youngest firefighter at 27, and had joined just 18 months ago.

Melvin Champaign was nicknamed "Pimp Daddy" because of his flashy clothes. But the name belied his love of Bible study.

Capt. Billy Hutchinson, a 30-year veteran, was jokingly tagged "Lightning" because of his slow, deliberate pace. Hutchinson, 48, worked off-duty at a barber shop.

Brad Baity, 37, was a part-time house painter. Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34, helped coach football and basketball players at Summerville High School, where he had played quarterback.

Also killed were Capt. Mike Benke, 49; Mark Kelsey, 40; and Brandon Thompson, 37.

It was the largest loss of firefighters' lives since since the September 11 attacks, which killed 340, and the deadliest fire in South Carolina since a 1979 blaze that killed 11 people in the Lancaster County jail.

The blaze plunged the city of 106,000 and its 237 surviving firefighters into mourning.

Some firefighters wept. Others fell to their knees, held their heads in their hands, or sat slumped on the bumpers of their fire trucks.

Mourners left flowers outside fire stations and state officials ordered flags lowered to half staff. Firefighters draped an American flag over a sign near the front of the store. (Watch a witness describe firefighters escaping through windows )

'True heroes'
President Bush said in a statement the firefighters were "true heroes who demonstrated great skill and courage. Their unwavering commitment to their neighbors and to the city of Charleston is an inspiration to all Americans."

As they searched the building and tried to extinguish the flames, the firefighters had to pick their way through rows of sofas and mattresses stacked five and six high on racks in the cavernous warehouse, a corrugated-metal structure next to a gas station.

Capt. Jeff Harrison said the men might have fallen victim to a flashover, in which gases heat a building and its contents so intensely that they burst into flames.

Store had no sprinklers
Buildings with lots of furniture are especially vulnerable, because of the wood lacquer, polyurethane foam and other combustible materials that can reach flashover at a relatively low temperature -- sometimes within minutes of a fire's outset.

"When they called it in, the fire wasn't all that large at the time," said Harrison, who lost three of his crew in the fire. "By the time they got there and got inside, they were just trying to make an attack on it and it got enough oxygen in there and flashed over and the whole building went up in flames."

The building had no fire sprinklers and was not required to have them. The fire chief said sprinklers would not have put out the fire but would have at least slowed it.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said the one-story warehouse had a drop ceiling that contained lots of oxygen. That, along with the combustible furniture, made it "a much more complicated building from a firefighting event than one might imagine."
 
Sara????.....too many post links. I don't want become thick pair of glasses?.

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TFWFalcon said:
Sara????.....too many post links. I don't want become thick pair of glasses?.

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Click to expand...

lol... take sara to air force with you and speed so hard as she will scared...

Just kidding, Sara...
 
I just got a call from my friend in Boston. She's coming here for the memorial service Friday. I'm going to see if she wants to stay at my house. She's an ITP student now but when she lived in Charleston last year she was a volunteer EMT. I think she might know some of the guys who died. I'm going to call her back later and find out more.

It was sad driving downtown today. I passed some fire stations, and they had the empty boots, jackets, and helmets set up below the lowered flags. :(
 
Reba said:
I just got a call from my friend in Boston. She's coming here for the memorial service Friday. I'm going to see if she wants to stay at my house. She's an ITP student now but when she lived in Charleston last year she was a volunteer EMT. I think she might know some of the guys who died. I'm going to call her back later and find out more.

It was sad driving downtown today. I passed some fire stations, and they had the empty boots, jackets, and helmets set up below the lowered flags. :(
Click to expand...


I am sorry it happened to them. They are heros.
 
Information Hotline, Memorial Event Details being released
Wednesday, June 20, 2007


A 24-hour hotline has been established in conjunction with the S.C. Firefighters’ Association to handle the enormous influx of calls from the public and fire departments nationwide wanting to attend or participate in Friday’s Memorial Service.

The toll free hotline number for the public and public service agencies is (866) 915-3010.

The Hotline is being manned by area firefighters.

The service, set for 10 a.m. Friday at the North Charleston Coliseum, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, will honor the nine City of Charleston firefighters who lost their lives Monday in battling a raging fire at a local furniture warehouse store.

Attendance is expected from Fire Departments throughout the nation

Friday’s event is open to the public, and thousands are expected to attend, including representatives from fire departments throughout the country who want to attend to pay tribute to the nine fallen men.

To accommodate the massive influx of fire personnel, a staging area for fire apparatus will be set up Friday at Concord and Washington streets downtown. Line up will begin at 5 a.m. with a procession to the Coliseum starting at 8 a.m. Additionally, a staging area will be set up at the Coliseum for honor guards and firefighters in full uniform. Expected road closures and the parade route are being determined and will be announced at a later time.

Contributions to help with costs for the memorial service can be sent to:

City of Charleston

c/o Firefighters Memorial Service Fund

P.O. Box 853

Charleston, SC 29402

Contributions to help the firefighters’ families can be sent to:

City of Charleston Firemen’s Fund

P.O. Box 304

Charleston, SC 29402.

Cards and flowers can be sent to: Charleston Fire Department Headquarters, 46 ½ Wentworth St., Charleston, SC 29401.
 
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