Charleston Sofa Super Store fire
| Time | 7:00 p.m.-4:00 a.m |
|---|---|
| Date | June 18, 2007 to June 19, 2007 |
| Location | 1807 Savannah Highway, Charleston South Carolina, United States |
| Cause | Discarded cigarette in some discarded furniture on the loading dock |
| Deaths | 9 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 18 |
| Property damage | Total loss of building and melted siding on neighbor's house from the heat. |
The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007 in Charleston South Carolina, United States and claimed the lives of nine firefighters. This had been the highest number of firefighter fatalities in a single event since the September 11 attacks until June 30, 2013, when nineteen Prescott, Arizona, firefighters from the elite "Granite Mountain Hotshots" team died at the Yarnell Hill Wildfire. The fire was believed to have started in some discarded furniture in the loading dock area, and though the source of ignition has been left undetermined, there is reason to believe that it may have been a discarded cigarette.
The fire occurred at the Sofa Super Store, composed of a 42,000 ft² (3,902 m²) single-story steel trussed showroom building with a 17,000 ft² (1,579 m²) warehouse building located behind the retail space, located at 1807 Savannah Highway in Charleston. The building had no fire sprinkler system. The fire started at approximately 7:00 p.m. in a covered loading dock area built between the showroom and warehouse buildings which was attached to both buildings. At the time, the business was open and employees were present. Charleston firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes of the alarm, followed soon after by firefighters from the St. Andrews Public Service District.
The initial attack focused on extinguishing the fire in the loading dock area, with a secondary effort to search for and evacuate people inside, and prevent the fire from spreading to the showroom and warehouse. Crews entering the showroom reportedly initially encountered clear visibility with only very light puffs of smoke visible near the ceiling at the back of the showroom. Shortly thereafter, an exterior door was opened near where the fire was raging. Efforts to close the door failed, allowing the fire to enter the showroom. Firefighters were ordered to stretch two hose lines into the showroom to attack the spreading fire; however, the pre-connected hose line from one of the units was too short. This required some firefighters to again exit the building to add additional sections of hose, and left only one small handline to hold back the growing fire. At about this time, fire dispatchers advised the crews on-scene that they had received a 9-1-1 call from an employee who was trapped in the warehouse, which required some firefighters to direct their attention to the rescue. The trapped employee was eventually rescued by firefighters who breached an exterior wall to reach him.
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