911 transcripts from Monday's fire released

The Post and Courier
Thursday, June 21, 2007


Charleston Police today released a transcript of 911 emergency calls related to Monday's furniture store fire. The transcript, which does not include times of the 10 phone calls, appears to shed little light on the sequence of events that led to the death of nine firefighters battling a blaze inside the store.

Most of the calls seem to come from motorists or passers-by, calling to make sure the fire has been reported.

"I was coming down Wappoo Road and noticed an awful lot of smoke coming out of the Sofa Super Store..." one caller says.

The sequence of calls also doesn't appear to be in any particular order. The dispatcher tells most of the callers that the department is already aware of the fire and that police and fire crews are on the way.

One caller, however, reports a "big fire in the back of the warehouse" at the store, and the dispatcher, according to the transcript, yells at the caller to "stay there."

Another dispatcher asks for the address of the fire and what's burning. "Uh, it's in the back of the Sofa Super Store," the caller says. "Looks like a little shed."

"Gotcha," the dispatcher responds. "I'll have somebody out there."

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