CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — An observance in Charleston recalls nine firefighters killed while fighting a furniture store blaze.
It's been five years since the June 2007 fire, which at the time was the largest loss of firefighters since the 2011 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
The department is organizing a public memorial Monday at the site of the former Sofa Super Store.
Gov. Nikki Haley also ordered the lowering of the flags at the Statehouse on Monday. On her Facebook page, Haley asked that people say a prayer and thank all first responders.
The Charleston fire is thought to have been started by discarded cigarettes in a loading dock. Fire experts hired by the city concluded that inadequate training, outdated tactics and aging equipment contributed to the deaths.
FireRescue Magazine/FirefighterNation takes a look at what has happened in the last five years and how Charleston and the rest of the nation's fire service have embraced the changes:
An Officer’s Perspective
Battalion Chief Mark Davis, the last officer to leave the Sofa Super Store building during the fire, details sweeping changes & credits counseling with saving lives
Tippett: Critics Wouldn’t Recognize the CFD
Charleston’s deputy chief of operations, John Tippett, details how the department has changed since the 2007 tragedy
Investigation Team Leader Sees Significant Improvements at CFD
Gordon Routley addresses changes made, advice for an incoming chief and how the incident changed the fire service
Human Behavior: 5 Years Later, We Can't Shake It
Billy Carey argues that repeated mistakes should cause us to consider our teaching methods if the lesson isn’t being learned
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