[iranfromthezoo]

Sadly nine of the bravest died in that blaze. Still no word from my friends at dept.

go to firehouse.com for more coverage for all that care. This is truly a sad day.

[iranfromthezoo]

[Yose]

They're in my thoughts man.

[bstone]

Those men were heros, through and through. Their complete devotion to humanity and helping strangers is a lesson we should all internalize.

As a fellow rescue worker I acutely feel this pain. Not the first time and certainly not the last time that pain like this will be felt.

My thoughts and prayers are with those heros, their families and with rescue workers everywhere.

[misc]

Any idea where exactly the fire was? I was in Charleston for a month and spent some time working with the Charleston Local (IATSE 333). A lot of them doubled as firefighters.

[CheesePuff]

This is the worst tragedy since the Worcester Six in December, 1999.

[Mastrap]

Hear it on the radio this morning. Awful.

[iranfromthezoo]

misc this was in the ashley part of charleston. All 19 stations in the city responded. North Charleston, Summerville and many other depts surrounding aided and provided mutual aid for the city.

[RAILhead]

What in Hades happened? I was iPodding it to work, so I didn't hear anything non the radio...

[iranfromthezoo]

RAIL from what SConFire is saying there was a furniture store on fire. The dept responded. They took defensive action (not going inside) but they found out by accountability checks that some people were trapped inside. So they sent S&R (truckies) in to go find the victims. They pulled two out and more teams went in to do a secondary search to see if anyone else was in there. The conditions deteriorated rapidly and the entire roof collapsed trapping the firefighters inside. They called a Mayday and left goodbye messages for loved ones. The CFD couldn't go in and do another search due to total collapse of structure so the firefighters were sadly lost...Trying to make sure everyone made it out safe.

[dcmacdaddy]

I heard it on the news this morning myself. Absolutely terrible. Nine guys is like a small company, right? The city must be devastated.

[iranfromthezoo]

DCmacdaddy. Nine guys is the equivalent of a entire station! A ladder crew and engine crew. I believe from FF's on scene it was three ladder companies involved.

[misc]

Argh, this is terrible.

[RAILhead]

Holy frakking crap, that sucks. God bless men (and women) who handle that role -- we'd all be screwed without people like them.

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo 

DCmacdaddy. Nine guys is the equivalent of a entire station! A ladder crew and engine crew. I believe from FF's on scene it was three ladder companies involved.

In our city we have 4 on the Quint, 4 on the Engine so that is a whole group from a whole station that's gone... just terrible.

[iranfromthezoo]

Cheesepuff, I made this for all firefighters and regular people to show their support for the Charleston, Fire Dept.

[Atheist]

Damn... that puts things in perspective.

[iranfromthezoo]

they are releasing the names of the 9 bravest that perished last night soon on CNN.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs are asking for a brief moment of silence at 7 p.m. EDT for all who are interested. Also there is a memorial fun for these firefighter families for all interested.

Anyone wanting to donate money to the firefighters' families can make a donation at any Bank of America location or send money to:
The City of Charleston Firemen's Fund
P.O. Box 304
Charleston, SC, 29402.

[KeriVit]

Damn, I had no idea. I live right around the corner from Charleston and I'm there all the time. I had no idea it even happened. I don't catch the news til 6pm. Wow. I lived in Mass when the guys from Worcester went down and now this. It's just terrible.

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo 

Cheesepuff, I made this for all firefighters and regular people to show their support for the Charleston, Fire Dept.

I didn't see this until now... very nice.

[iranfromthezoo]

I'll sadly be there today with 8 other of our firefighters plus our chief who has been there all week. I'm going to be as reverent as possible but if I can and feel it's right I will take some pictures and post them for all interested.