Charleston, SC (WCIV) - Charleston firefighters responded to a house fire at Eve Circle in West Ashley only to find that it was the home of the widow of Charleston 9 firefighter Mike Benke.
Benke was killed along with 8 other firefighters while battling a massive blaze at the Sofa Super Store June 18th, 2007.
Chief Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh said when crews arrived flames were seen coming from the house.
"Charleston Fire Department responded to a structure fire on Eve circle. The call came in at 6;26pm. Crews did arrive to find fire venting out from the front and the side of the structure. They made a very quick attack and were able to contain the fire to the front quadrant of the house," said Julazadeh.
The fire hit close to home and Julazadeh said it will be important for crews to lean on each other.
"I think it's very important to realize the fire department is a very close knit family and when something like this happens it probably hits hard, hits close to home and it's important for firefighters to band together and work through this and take care of family and take care of themselves," said Julazadeh.
No one was home at the time, but the family dog was killed. The fire is under investigation.
On Tuesday the fire investigators released this statement:
"The fire originated within a
living room area of the home near a built-in computer desk. After
reconstructing the scene it appears the fire originated from within or under the
desk and substantially damaged numerous electrical items. Due to the
significant damage to the items in the immediate area the specific cause for the
fire may not be able to be determined. At this time investigators believe the
cause is likely related to the electrical items in the immediate area."
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(WCIV)
