Disaster Area

Episode 252: The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire

Disaster Area

Show Notes

It was almost the end of a typical Tuesday for workers at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, South Carolina, in June of 2007, and several of them went out to the loading dock to smoke and kill a little time. One stray cigarette butt thrown too near the trash, and within an hour and a half nine firefighters would be dead. Videos: Charleston Fire Department's recovery from deadly Sofa Super Store fire

First hour of dispatch audio from the Sofa Super Store fire

Charleston 9: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Line-of-Duty Death and Injury Investigations - NIST Fire Modeling - The Charleston Investigation

Articles and books: Newsweek: 'It looked like Hell was burning'

Post and Courier: Sofa store owner tells his side

Post and Courier: Trapped: The story of nine Charleston firefighters' deaths

NIST Study on Charleston Furniture Store Fire Calls for National Safety Improvements

Remembering the Charleston 9: 17 years after deadly Sofa Super Store fire

The Sofa Super Store fire: The blaze that reshaped the Charleston Fire Department

More from Disaster Area

Sep 24, 2026

It might have felt like just a bad day at work - cracks in the walls, the merchandise shaking on the shelves, the air conditioning needing to be turned off. But the Sampoong department store wasn't just falling apart metaphorically. It was quite literally taking all day to fail.

Sep 16, 2026

In 6th century Constantinople, Emperor Justinian would lead the Byzantine empire into conquering other lands, constructing impressive architecture, and instituting a new legal code that still influences nations today. But before a lot of that was done, Justinian faced the wrath of his subjects, with their rage coming to a head at one of the unlikeliest of places - a chariot race.

Sep 2, 2026

We all know what a good strong summer thunderstorm looks like, and we know just how much rain one of them can douse us in. But on a warm Friday night in 1972, the eastern foothills of the Black Hills -- and in particular the town of Rapid City, South Dakota -- were struck by storms which broke dams, overflowed creek beds, and killed hundreds. Videos:

Aug 26, 2026

It was a beautiful Monday morning in San Diego on September 25, 1978 - sunny and hot with not a cloud in the sky. There was no reason whatsoever to think the day would be ruined by anything, but especially not by two planes colliding over a horrified suburb.

Aug 19, 2026

When we think of deadly peacetime maritime disasters, Titanic is the first ship to come to mind. But there is a far deadlier disaster which holds the record for the worst in terms of loss of life ... when a loaded oil tanker and a packed ferry collided in the Philippines one moonless night just before Christmas in 1987.

See all episodes →