VOA News - 9 Firefighters Die in South Carolina Fire
Nine firefighters have died in a blaze that swept through a furniture warehouse in Charleston, in the southern state of South Carolina Monday night.
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley said earlier Tuesday that at least two of nine people killed in the blaze were firefighters. But in a later news briefing, he confirmed that all of the victims were firefighters.
The fire broke out about 7:00 p.m. (midnight UTC) Monday in the furniture store and warehouse, forcing officials to close off part of a nearby roadway. Witnesses say the building's roof collapsed, trapping the firefighters inside.
Riley said he believed all of the store's employees escaped. At least one worker and two firefighters were taken to the hospital.
Riley called the dead firefighters heroes.
From another report
Overnight, firefighters, police officers and other rescue workers saluted as the bodies were carried from the warehouse.
"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. He was unsure whether there were sprinklers in the building.
Witnesses said the store's roof collapsed, throwing debris over about two-dozen rescue workers. Onlookers were hit with flying ash.
"It was like a 30-foot (nine-metre) tornado of flames," said one witness, Mark Hilton.
