CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- An inferno raced through a Charleston,
South Carolina, furniture warehouse, collapsing its roof and killing nine
firefighters in a tragedy that the city's mayor described Tuesday as
"difficult to fathom."

"They lost their lives fighting for the safety of our citizens,"
Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said.

Two employees were able to get out safely, but the fire, which began
Monday night, quickly spread through the Sofa Super Store, causing part of
the building to collapse. (Map)

Firefighters had to break an opening in the back of the store to allow one
of the workers out of the burning building, Riley said. (Gallery)

"Nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston
have perished fighting a fire, and in a most courageous and fearless
manner, carrying out their duties," Riley said. "This is a tragic event
for our community, the magnitude of which is difficult to fathom or
quantify." (Watch a witness describe firefighters escaping through
windows )

The International Association of Fire Chiefs called on all firefighters to
observe a moment of silence at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday to honor the nine who
died.

The victims, their ages and their years of service are:


a.. Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48 (30 years)


a.. Capt. Mike Benke, 49 (29 years)


a.. Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34 (11½ years)


a.. Engineer Mark Kelsey, 40 (12½ years)


a.. Engineer Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37 (9 years)


a.. Assistant engineer Michael French, 27 (1½ years)


a.. Firefighter James "Earl" Drayton, 56 (32 years)


a.. Firefighter Brandon Thompson, 27 (4 years)


a.. Firefighter Melven Champaign, 46 (2 years)

"We lost over a hundred years of service to the city of Charleston Fire
Department, over a hundred years of dedicated service," Riley said. "To
the families who gave them to us, we protected them as much as we could.
They did exactly what they were trained to do. I can't say enough of these
nine guys. They were my friends. I lost nine of my best friends."

Witnesses said more than 20 fire personnel were buried in the collapse,
and flying ash hit bystanders, according to AP.

"It was like a 30-foot tornado of flames," Mark Hilton, who was struck in
the eye, told The Associated Press.

Near Charleston's main firehouse, people left notes and flowers at the
base of a monument to the firefighters Tuesday, according to AP.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you and your families," said one
note the AP cited. "We are deeply saddened and want you all to know that
we value your bravery and thank you for putting your lives on the line to
keep us all safe. God bless you all."

In Washington, President Bush and first lady Laura Bush described the
firefighters as "true heroes who demonstrated great skill and courage."

State and federal officials are investigating the cause of the fire, but
Riley said there is no initial indication of foul play or arson.

Firefighters and other rescue workers formed a double line and saluted as
their comrades' bodies were carried from the charred remains of the
building. (Watch colleagues' solemn salutes as the fallen firefighters'
bodies are brought out )

"To lose nine is just a tragedy of immense proportions," Riley said. "To
lose nine is just unbelievable."

The deaths are the single greatest loss of American firefighters in the
line of duty since the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to
statistics compiled by firehouse.com. The attack on New York's World Trade
Center resulted in the deaths of 343 firefighters.

The mayor said he didn't know whether the structure had sprinklers, but he
said they would not have helped much. "A fire that gets going quickly
enough is beyond any sprinkler system's capacity to put it out in a
building like this," Riley said.

Store owner Herb Goldstein told the AP in a statement that everyone at the
business is "devastated and heartbroken by this tragedy. Our thoughts and
prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the heroic firefighters
who lost their lives."

It is the first time Charleston has lost a firefighter in the line of duty
in at least 10 years, Charleston firefighter Lt. Chad Watson said.

Most of the bodies were found in the rear of the building, Watson said,
where flames caused the collapse of large shelves that held heavy
furniture.

"The fire burned so hot so fast that those [shelves] all collapsed, and
that's where the majority of the fatalities" occurred, Watson said.

Eric Glover, a Charleston firefighter who worked the blaze, said the loss
of his colleagues was difficult to bear.

Glover and other firefighters were participating in a golf tournament to
benefit the family of another colleague who recently had died when they
were alerted about Monday's blaze. The building's roof had collapsed by
the time Glover arrived.

"You're always close to the guys because you spend a third of your life
with these guys," Glover said. "Then you spend time outside of the job
with them. You're pretty close."

Daniel Shahid, who works at a nearby car dealership, told AP that
dealership employees helped carry hoses and direct traffic. He said the
fire quickly spread throughout the building, which collapsed less than 30
minutes after the blaze began.

"It collapsed so fast that there was no opportunity for anybody that was
in there to even think about getting out," Shahid told CNN's "American
Morning."

He told AP he saw firefighters rescue four people from the building.

"They were struggling. They were covered in black soot. They looked scared
out of their minds," he told AP.

The collapse "came from nowhere," Shahid told CNN. "It was a standing
structure, and five seconds later it was on the ground."

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- An inferno raced through a Charleston,
South Carolina, furniture warehouse, collapsing its roof and killing nine
firefighters in a tragedy that the city's mayor described Tuesday as
"difficult to fathom."

"They lost their lives fighting for the safety of our citizens," Charlest=

Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said.

Two employees were able to get out safely, but the fire, which began Mond=

night, quickly spread through the Sofa Super Store, causing part of the
building to collapse. (Map)

Firefighters had to break an opening in the back of the store to allow one
of the workers out of the burning building, Riley said. (Gallery)

"Nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston ha=

perished fighting a fire, and in a most courageous and fearless manner,
carrying out their duties," Riley said. "This is a tragic event for our
community, the magnitude of which is difficult to fathom or quantify."
(Watch a witness describe firefighters escaping through windows )

The International Association of Fire Chiefs called on all firefighters to
observe a moment of silence at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday to honor the nine who di=

The victims, their ages and their years of service are:

a.. Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48 (30 years)

a.. Capt. Mike Benke, 49 (29 years)

a.. Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34 (11=BD years)

a.. Engineer Mark Kelsey, 40 (12=BD years)

a.. Engineer Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37 (9 years)

a.. Assistant engineer Michael French, 27 (1=BD years)

a.. Firefighter James "Earl" Drayton, 56 (32 years)

a.. Firefighter Brandon Thompson, 27 (4 years)

a.. Firefighter Melven Champaign, 46 (2 years)

"We lost over a hundred years of service to the city of Charleston Fire
Department, over a hundred years of dedicated service," Riley said. "To t=

families who gave them to us, we protected them as much as we could. They
did exactly what they were trained to do. I can't say enough of these nine
guys. They were my friends. I lost nine of my best friends."

Witnesses said more than 20 fire personnel were buried in the collapse, a=

flying ash hit bystanders, according to AP.

"It was like a 30-foot tornado of flames," Mark Hilton, who was struck in
the eye, told The Associated Press.

Near Charleston's main firehouse, people left notes and flowers at the ba=

of a monument to the firefighters Tuesday, according to AP.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you and your families," said one
note the AP cited. "We are deeply saddened and want you all to know that =

value your bravery and thank you for putting your lives on the line to ke=

us all safe. God bless you all."

In Washington, President Bush and first lady Laura Bush described the
firefighters as "true heroes who demonstrated great skill and courage."

State and federal officials are investigating the cause of the fire, but
Riley said there is no initial indication of foul play or arson.

Firefighters and other rescue workers formed a double line and saluted as
their comrades' bodies were carried from the charred remains of the
building. (Watch colleagues' solemn salutes as the fallen firefighters'
bodies are brought out )

"To lose nine is just a tragedy of immense proportions," Riley said. "To
lose nine is just unbelievable."

The deaths are the single greatest loss of American firefighters in the l=

of duty since the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to statistics
compiled by firehouse.com. The attack on New York's World Trade Center
resulted in the deaths of 343 firefighters.

The mayor said he didn't know whether the structure had sprinklers, but he
said they would not have helped much. "A fire that gets going quickly eno=

is beyond any sprinkler system's capacity to put it out in a building like
this," Riley said.

Store owner Herb Goldstein told the AP in a statement that everyone at the
business is "devastated and heartbroken by this tragedy. Our thoughts and
prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the heroic firefighters =

lost their lives."

It is the first time Charleston has lost a firefighter in the line of duty
in at least 10 years, Charleston firefighter Lt. Chad Watson said.

Most of the bodies were found in the rear of the building, Watson said,
where flames caused the collapse of large shelves that held heavy furnitu=

"The fire burned so hot so fast that those [shelves] all collapsed, and
that's where the majority of the fatalities" occurred, Watson said.

Eric Glover, a Charleston firefighter who worked the blaze, said the loss=

his colleagues was difficult to bear.

Glover and other firefighters were participating in a golf tournament to
benefit the family of another colleague who recently had died when they w=

alerted about Monday's blaze. The building's roof had collapsed by the ti=

Glover arrived.

"You're always close to the guys because you spend a third of your life w=

these guys," Glover said. "Then you spend time outside of the job with th=

You're pretty close."

Daniel Shahid, who works at a nearby car dealership, told AP that dealers=

employees helped carry hoses and direct traffic. He said the fire quickly
spread throughout the building, which collapsed less than 30 minutes after
the blaze began.

"It collapsed so fast that there was no opportunity for anybody that was =

there to even think about getting out," Shahid told CNN's "American
Morning."

He told AP he saw firefighters rescue four people from the building.

"They were struggling. They were covered in black soot. They looked scared
out of their minds," he told AP.

The collapse "came from nowhere," Shahid told CNN. "It was a standing
structure, and five seconds later it was on the ground."

begin 666 icon_video.gif
M1TE&.#EA$P`,`,0;`/___VYN;EE96=3D;6UIF9F<K*RH.#@R@G)T9&1JZNKM+2
MTO3T]/CX^,[.SC8U->+BXOS\_,/#P]W=3DW>/CX^GIZ=3DC8V.[N[N#@X/O[^_W]
M_>OKZ____P```````````````"'Y! $``!L`+ `````3``P```5LX+8!9&D"
M8KIE$#2\, QEZL9$]UGB&\8PF$5BJ",E%LCAPD)H%@'-*,%",5B?!H#52ID$
MO*2 .! &C+\:B41 $KC9`/9;(!%5$$^$?E\1*1Q/#@J##H(B#PT'BHN*#0\;
.B(XI%P65EI47-1LA`#L`
`
end