ATF report: Cause of Sofa Super Store fire still unknown

Someone started last year's deadly Sofa Super Store fire by tossing out a cigarette or starting the blaze by other means, but federal fire investigators weren't able to pin down exactly who caused the fire and how, according to a report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.

The report, which had not been made public until now, also said that as Charleston firefighters opened doors to the store's showroom, causing "a fire storm" that engulfed the building.

The report also sheds new light on the moments before firefighters arrived and how a passerby was the first to discover the fire and how he alerted employees, who then frantically tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

The Post and Courier obtained the report through a request under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. The Department of Justice blacked out names of firefighters, Sofa Super Store employees and others.

For more on this story, see Thursday's edition of The Post and Courier.