— At 7:08 P.M., firefighters were dispatched to a fire at the Sofa Super Store at 1807 Savannah Highway. While crews were on scene fighting the fire, a worker inside the building called 911 to report that he was trapped. The worker banged on a metal wall and a dispatcher relayed information to on-scene units. A firefighter opened a seam of the wall and removed the trapped worker. The fire extended from the warehouse located in the rear to the showroom in front. Firefighters operating inside evidently became trapped in the maze-like conditions. A "Mayday" was issued. One firefighter followed a hoseline inside and in separate attempts located two firefighters and removed them to safety. The remaining firefighters were apparently caught in a flashover. Before the firefighter's third attempt at rescue, the roof collapsed. At 7:30 P.M., the front facade of the showroom collapsed. Three of the firefighters who were killed were assigned to Engine 19, two to Engine 10 but were detailed to Ladder 5, two to Engine 16, one to Ladder 5, and one to Engine 15.
The Charleston Fire Department is an ISO Class 1 department that has 19 companies with over 230 firefighters who protect a population of 106,000.
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—Harvey Eisner
