By Bruce Smith
The Associated Press

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The mayor said Wednesday that the city will buy the site of a fatal furniture store fire and create a park and memorial to the nine firefighters who died in the blaze.

"The land is sacred. It's where nine people died," Mayor Joseph P. Riley said.

The Sofa Super Store showroom and warehouse were gutted by the June 18 blaze, the worst single loss of U.S. firefighters' lives since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Riley said he spoke to store owner Herb Goldstein, who agreed with the plan. Riley said the two talked before the mayor traveled to Indiana for the last of the firefighter funerals.

"We fully support this idea," Goldstein said in a statement. "We have been looking for ways to honor the firefighters in a permanent way."

The city and Goldstein have not settled on a price, Riley said. Goldstein, who has set up a college fund for the firefighters' children, paid $1.3 million for the property in 1995, according to Charleston County property records.

The land, about 2.5 acres, is on a busy commercial strip lined with car dealerships, repair shops and fast-food chains.

The land should never contain another structure, Riley said.

"This should be a passive place in memory of these nine heroes," he said. "It will be a place for our citizens to come, for firefighters (and) for friends and relatives of our deceased firefighters."

Federal officials have traced the fire to a trash bin on the loading dock but have not released a cause. On Tuesday, a city official said a roof above the loading dock was built without a required permit.

"When the investigation is done it will include the issues of fighting the fire and every aspect of it. That will take quite a while," Riley said.

The last of the funerals for the nine fallen firefighters was also held Tuesday.

The Charleston RiverDogs, a minor league baseball affiliate of the New York Yankees, will play this weekend in black armbands and Charleston Fire Department caps. The team said it will also create a permanent memorial at the stadium.