CHARLESTON, S.C. — Nine firefighters were honored today, marking the year anniversary of the fatal Sofa Super Store fire.
At 12 a.m. Monday, fire personnel began a 24-hour watch at the memorial site. A ceremony will be held Monday night, reported ABC.
Charleston 9 remembered with special ceremony 9 years after Sofa Super Store fire https://t.co/BYMi2uL2SE #chsnews
— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) June 19, 2016
Officials found that the cause of the fire was a pile of packing material and discarded furniture near the loading dock of the store.
“The fire spread quickly within the loading dock and moved into both the retail showroom and warehouses spaces,” wrote the National Institute of Standards and Technology in a report.
Furthermore, officials said the found that once the windows at the store were broken out, the fire rapidly grew.
Since the fire, the Charleston Fire Department has implemented new policies to increase safety.
The names of the 9 fallen firefighters were read, then a moment of silence. @ABCNews4 pic.twitter.com/EZVGooLGUC
— Lindsey Maloney (@lindsey_news4) June 18, 2016
We will never forget those who lost their lives fighting the fire at Sofa Super Store. #Charleston9 pic.twitter.com/fa6R5Da0BD
— Betty Deas Clark (@bettydeasclark) June 18, 2016