The Charleston Fire Department will mark 18 years since the Sofa Superstore fire that claimed the lives of nine firefighters. Each year, the department holds a ceremony at the Charleston 9 Memorial Park (1807 Savannah Highway), which was constructed on the grounds where the furniture store was located, to honor the fallen. The ceremony is open to the community and members of the fire service. There is limited seating, and priority is given to families of the fallen and members of the Charleston Fire Department. As part of the departmentโs memorial each year, personnel from the Charleston Fire Department stand watch at the flagpole inside the memorial park beginning at midnight and continuing for the 24 hours of June 18. Fire crews responded to the West Ashley furniture store on the evening of June 18, 2007, when they received a call that an employee was trapped inside the highly combustible business.
