By Martha Rose Brown
The Times and Democrat
ORANGEBURG, S.C. — An early morning fire consumed a 106-year-old downtown Orangeburg building on Monday.
The two-story building known as the Wolfe Building is located at 1036 Broughton Street, next to The Times and Democrat. It was formerly home to Browseabout Antiques.
Orangeburg Department of Public Safety firefighters learned of the fire at 12:37 a.m. and arrived in five minutes, according to Battalion Chief Jonathan Winningham.
“When our firefighters arrived, there was extensive fire from one end of the building to the other. It’s what we would refer to as truly, fully involved. The roof was already collapsed,” Winningham said.
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Shortly after firefighters arrived, the front brick and granite facade crumbled to the ground and onto Broughton Street.
Firefighters used multiple hand lines, deck water guns and two aerial ladder truck lines to put out the fire.
Scenes from the Orangeburg fire at 1036 Broughton Street
Winningham said crews dedicated one water line to protecting the Times and Democrat building. The Wolfe Building and T&D office are separated by Market Street.
The Broughton event venue, located across from the Wolfe Building, has visible minor fire damage, Winningham said.
No one was inside of the Wolfe Building when the fire started. No firefighters were injured.
Broughton Street will remain closed between Russell and Fischer Streets until the debris is cleared from it. Market Street is also closed due to a two-story brick wall that is in danger of collapsing, Winningham said.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, but the investigation continues, Winningham said.
The Wolfe Building was constructed on land purchased by William Chevalette Wolfe Sr. around 1919. Wolfe announced the buildings he constructed along Broughton Street would have facades made of granite, according to a T&D story from December 1919.
The building that burned early Monday morning was one of the buildings that Wolfe owned.
Archived T&D stories indicate the first floor of the building was constructed in 1920 and a second floor was added in 1926.
In 1926, the Orangeburg Motor Co. and Orangeburg Paint Co. occupied the first floor.
Three physicians and the Orangeburg County Health Department had the newly added second floor.
The building has held several businesses over the years. It is commonly referred to as the “Babcock” building for when it was home to Babcock Home Furnishings.
Firefighters from the following agencies assisted in fighting the fire: Canaan Fire Department, Cordova Fire Department, Jamison Fire Department, Orangeburg County Fire District, Orangeburg County Fire Marshal, Orangeburg County Office of Emergency Services and Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Special Operations.
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