Firefighters hit streets to talk to residents about fire safety

Investigators don't know if a working smoke detector would have saved Olivia Saylor's life, but they don't think she had one.

The 21-year-old woman was killed in a New Year's Day fire at her townhouse at 108M Smith St. Investigators were unable to find any evidence of a working smoke detector in the charred remains of the house.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said Monday that Saylor died from smoke inhalation.

Charleston firefighters went door to door in the downtown neighborhood around Saylor's house Monday night offering to inspect smoke detectors and install free smoke detectors for those who didn't have them.

They also handed out fire-safety information, including tips on smoke detectors, kitchen safety and portable fire extinguishers.

Bradley Saylors of 108A Smith Street wasn't home during the fatal fire, but he heard that firefighters were going to be checking smoke detectors Monday night. Saylors is not related to the fire victim, Olivia Saylor, though their names are similar.

'I went outside and asked them to check mine,' Saylors said. 'I wasn't sure if they were working.'

Firefighter Eugene McIntosh with Engine Co. 103 stood on a stepladder and tested the smoke detector in Saylors' kitchen. The battery was dead. He replaced it and held down the test button for 10 seconds. The alarm did not go off.

'Let's put in a new one,' McIntosh said.

Firefighter Sam Scougale of Engine Co. 102 handed McIntosh a brand-new smoke detector and McIntosh installed it.

This time, when he depressed the test button, a piercing sound filled the air, indicating the new detector was in working order.

There was another smoke detector on the second floor of Saylors' apartment, but it was wired into the building. Firefighters recommended that he ask his landlord to make sure it was working correctly.

Olivia Saylor had been out on the town celebrating New Year's Eve, and she came home in a taxicab about 3:30 a.m. or so, according to officials and accounts from her friends.

The results of toxicology tests will determine whether Saylor was intoxicated, Wooten said. Either way, she was celebrating responsibly because she took a cab, Wooten said. Toxicology results may take several weeks.

Charleston Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh said investigators have not yet determined what caused the fire, but they do not suspect foul play.

Early reports indicated the fire may have started in the kitchen, but authorities on Monday could not say for sure if it had started there.

The fire marshal said the blaze is thought to have started on the first floor, which contains a kitchen, entry foyer and the living room, where Saylor's body was found lying face-down on the floor. The fire did not start in the living room, Julazadeh said.

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

They already have talked with more than a half-dozen witnesses.

'We're looking for additional information from her friends and from anyone who took photos and videos of the fire,' 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, firefighters could see fire and smoke coming from the house. It took 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. That firefighter was quickly rescued, 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 under way to determine exactly how the men were burned, he said.

Two dogs and a cat were killed in the fire, Tippett said. Another cat is missing.

Reach David W. MacDougall at 937-5655.