Charleston Sofa Super Store fire
2007 fire in Charleston, South Carolina
The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire was a firefighting accident that occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina, resulting in the deaths of nine firefighters. It was the deadliest firefighter disaster in the US since the September 11 attacks. The fire, which started in the loading dock of the furniture store, rapidly spread to the main showroom and warehouse, leading to a catastrophic structural collapse. Despite initial firefighting efforts and rescue attempts, the poor water supply and lack of fire sprinkler systems contributed to the incident. The site was cleared after the fire, and a new fire station was constructed nearby.
Fire and collapse
The fire occurred at the Sofa Super Store, composed of a 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m2) single-story steel trussed showroom building with a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) warehouse building located behind the retail space, located at 1807 Savannah Highway in Charleston. The building had no fire sprinkler system. Sofa Super Store had set up shop there in 1992. 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.
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