Update: Charleston Mayor to Release Report on Fatal South Carolina Blaze

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Mayor Joe Riley said May 6 he would soon release a long-awaited report on the deaths of nine firefighters in last year’s furniture store blaze, after firefighters and the victims’ families criticized waiting longer for federal reports.

The report by a city-appointed panel of outside experts is expected to explain the circumstances of the June 18, 2007, Sofa Super Store fire.

Riley had announced last week he would delay its release until two federal probes into the blaze were complete, upsetting firefighters and families of the men who died. The head of the International Association of Fire Fighters told The (Charleston) Post and Courier that the mayor was orchestrating a “cover-up” that endangered firefighters’ lives.

On May 6, Riley relented and said the report would be released May 15. He said the victims’ families and those still on the job couldn’t wait any longer for answers.

The “disappointment that I sensed in our fire department and from the families of our fallen firefighters was so substantial, and the skepticism and potential distrust that could result” made it imperative not to delay the release, Riley said.

Riley, who began his ninth term as mayor in January, said his opinion was swayed by two moments. First, he heard from the city’s liaison for the victims’ families about one widow who did not agree that waiting was the best course. Then Riley visited a fire station and found similar views from those on the job.

Riley said waiting longer for a report that was in the city’s hands could erode morale among a group still dealing with the loss of their colleagues.

IAFF general president Harold Schaitberger thanked the mayor Tuesday.

“That report is badly needed by our Local 61 members and the families of the fallen to make the necessary changes within the Charleston Fire Department and let the healing continue for the entire community,” Schaitberger said in a statement.

The National Institute of Occupation, Safety and Health and the National Institute of Safety and Technology both are expected to issue reports about the fire. When those are complete, Riley said the city will consider them.

The city already has made changes to the department, including hiring a new battalion chief and safety officer, and adopting new regulations that require sending more trucks to fires and using larger hoses for battling blazes.