FIREFIGHTERS HONORED FOR SAVING LIVES AT HOTEL FIRE

By Paul Alongi
STAFF WRITER
palongi@greenvillenews.com

Gary Downey says he was sleeping at home when the monitor beeped and the dispatcher on the other end told him about a fire at the Comfort Inn.

It was shortly after 4 a.m., so the Wade Hampton fire chief knew people would be at the hotel.

“It’s not a good feeling,” he said on Sunday.

Six died and 12 were injured, the worst death toll Downey has seen in a career spanning more than 40 years. But it could’ve been worse.

Firefighters rescued several hotel guests with ladders and a platform truck. Six months later, the Wade Hampton Fire Department has won the “Meritorious Action” award from the South Carolina State Firemen’s Association.

The award, given to the department Saturday night in Myrtle Beach, recognized firefighters who battled the blaze during a Jan. 25 winter storm that coated the Upstate with ice.

Guests jumped from the windows and climbed down knotted bed sheets to escape the fire that started on the third floor.

Afterwards, firefighters underwent coping sessions, Downey said. Fire alarms at hotels and just driving by the Comfort Inn on Congaree Road bring back the memories of the tragedy, he said.

“It’s something that’s going to be with you for the rest of your life,” Downey said.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled the deaths as homicide. No arrests have been made, and it’s considered an active investigation, said Sgt. Shea Smith of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire gave rise to a bill that would have required sprinklers in hotels. Another bill would have required hotels without sprinklers to notify guests. Both died in the Legislature.

Downey said the association will continue to push for sprinklers in hotels.

“If anything should come of it, let’s try to do something that’s going to save other people’s lives,” he said. “Let’s not sweep it under the rug.”