VIDEO: Vandals defaced the city of Charleston’s Fire Station No. 11 in West Ashley on the eve of the anniversary of the deadly Sofa Super Store blaze.
City officials said at a news conference June 17 they would not allow the crime to overshadow the June 18 anniversary of the fire, which killed nine Charleston firefighters in 2007.
“This fire station, it’s very special,” Mayor John Tecklenburg said. “It’s right next to the Sofa Super Store, where nine valiant firefighters gave their lives. It’s, in a way, a part of our continuing tribute to them and memorial to them.” Charleston police officers were dispatched the morning of June 17 to the yet-to-be-open station at 1835 Savannah Highway after learning of damage to the property, according to an incident report.
A fire battalion chief told the officers the building was struck by gunfire several times.