By Steve Harrison
The Charlotte Observer
Copyright 2007 The Charlotte Observer
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News

Charleston, S.C. — The Sofa Super Store destroyed by fire Monday night was 31,300 square feet — well above the state threshold mandating sprinklers for commercial buildings bigger than 12,000 square feet.

But because it was an older building, the furniture store was apparently exempt from stricter building codes dating to the early 1990s that were strengthened again in both Carolinas early this decade.

Officials said Tuesday that the store had no sprinklers.

It's unclear whether the store underwent any significant modifications that would have required sprinklers to be installed, or whether it had any previous building or fire violations. The city refused to release inspection reports requested Tuesday morning by the Observer.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said in a news conference the building was grandfathered in because it predated stricter codes.

One S.C. fire official criticized the state's building code, which he said is too lenient on older buildings. He also said the furniture store owner should have retrofitted the building with sprinklers when he bought it.

"Just do the right thing," said Gary Mocarski, an official with the S.C. Fire Marshals Association. "On a new building, it will cost you a little over $2 a square foot. On an old building it will cost a little more. For the peace of mind they provide, you should do it."

Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas said he thought sprinklers would have slowed the fire.

The furniture store is owned by Herbert Goldstein, who bought it in 1995, according to county records. Goldstein, who lives on nearby Sullivans Island, also owns several residential properties, according to county records. There are two other Sofa Super Stores in the Charleston area.

Goldstein couldn't be reached Tuesday. His family issued a statement to The Associated Press saying 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."

Before becoming the Sofa Super Store, the building at 1807 Savannah Highway was a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, according to The Post and Courier of Charleston.

Even though the building changed owners, it didn't need to be brought up to code because its designated use as a "mercantile business" hadn't changed.

Mocarski said that's a flaw because a store full of sofas is a greater fire hazard than one with groceries.

The threshold for sprinklers had been buildings larger than 15,000 square feet before the figure was reduced to 12,000. Before the early '90s, there was no clear rule, and the type of building material was considered in determining whether sprinklers were needed. Less flammable materials such as stone might exempt a building.

Richard Strickland, chief fire code consultant for the N.C. Fire Marshal, said buildings from before the mid-1980s, when North Carolina tightened its code, could be as large as 45,000 square feet without sprinklers.

The Charleston Fire Department said the building was about 50 years old.

Three years ago, six people were killed and dozens were injured in a hotel fire in Greenville, S.C.

That fire — later found to be arson — prompted lawmakers to consider a bill requiring most hotels to be retrofitted with sprinklers.

But the bill was rejected after hotel owners said it would be too costly. Hotels without sprinklers must display a sign in the lobby that says they don't have them.

"If they couldn't pass that after the hotel fire, I don't have a lot of faith," Mocarski said.