Charleston authorities looking for clues in fatal fire

Firefighters will be knocking on doors in Charleston’s Radcliffeborough neighborhood tonight, asking if anyone has more information about the fatal blaze that claimed the life of a 21-year-old woman early Saturday.

Also, firefighters will be encouraging residents to make sure they have working smoke detectors.

At a press conference at the Charleston Fire Department’s downtown headquarters today, officials said they have yet to determine what caused the fire that killed Olivia Saylor, who was found lying face down in a living room on the first floor of her townhouse at 108M Smith St.

An autopsy determined that Saylor died from smoke inhalation, Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said.

Investigators could not find any evidence of a working smoke alarm in the charred remains of the house.

That doesn’t mean she did not have a smoke alarm, or that a working smoke alarm may have saved her, officials said.

The coroner is waiting for results of toxicology tests, which may take several weeks.

Wooten said she wanted to support the fire department’s efforts to educate people about smoke detectors. She also said installed smoke alarms should be checked to make sure they work.

Early reports indicated the fire may have started in the kitchen.

Authorities said today that the fire is thought to have started on the first floor, which contains a kitchen, an entry foyer and a living room. The fire did not start in the living room, Charleston Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh said. It is thought to have started on the first floor.

“We’re looking for additional information from her friends and from anyone who took photos and videos of the fire,” the fire marshal said.

Authorities are trying to retrace Saylor’s steps in the hours leading up to the fire. They also want to establish a timeline that will help determine how the fire progressed through the building, the fire marshal said.

Saylor had been out celebrating New Year’s Eve and had come home in a taxicab about 2:30 or 3:30 a.m., Julazadeh said.

Deputy Fire Chief John Tippett said the fire department was dispatched at 4:29 a.m., and when the first unit arrived two minutes later, there was fire and smoke visible at the house. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to bring the fire under control.

One firefighter fell through the floor, from the second floor into the first, and a “Mayday” was issued, Tippett said. He was quickly rescued by a fellow firefighter, but he was burned on his forearms, wrists and his neck, Tippett said. Another firefighter also was burned on his ankles. Both firefighters were treated at Medical University Hospital and released, Tippett said. An investigation is underway to determine exactly how the men were burned, he said.