Stretch of U.S. 17 renamed to honor firefighters who died in sofa store blaze

The state on Monday rechristened a section of U.S. Highway 17 in West Ashley as the Charleston Nine Memorial Highway, a tribute aimed at keeping alive a tragic memory of courage and sacrifice.

Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier

Firefighter Kim Drayton stands at attention as he serves on the honor guard with Capt. Lance Williams (in the reflection) for a ceremony held Monday to rename a section of U.S. Highway 17 in West Ashley to the Charleston Nine Memorial Highway.

More than 40 people turned out on a damp, gray morning for a solemn ceremony at the site of the Sofa Super Store blaze that killed nine Charleston firefighters on June 18, 2007. The site is along the 3.6-mile stretch, between S.C. Highway 171 and Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, renamed in honor of the fallen.

State Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, a Charleston Democrat who pushed for the change, said the road's new name will ensure generations to come will be reminded of the firefighters' bravery and the heavy toll they paid.

"We can't go back in time and change what happened, but we can go forward, make things better and honor their courage and bravery the way we are supposed to," he said. "Renaming this highway is an appropriate way to make sure that we do more than just not forget, that we remember every day."

The families of the fallen attended the event, as did city leaders, state officials and representatives of each of the fire stations that lost men that day. The ceremony began with a Fire Department Honor Guard procession, accompanied by bagpipes. Behind the podium, American and memorial flags snapped in the breeze atop a lone pole jutting from the scarred and graded earth where the store once stood.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation unveiled a prototype of the street signs that will bear the new name, and the families received copies of the resolution that created the memorial highway.

Jean Dangerfield, whose brother Michael French died in the blaze, found it very difficult to revisit the site and see the truck on which her brother served.

But she was touched by the tribute all the same. "This is really a great honor for them," she said.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley told the crowd the city will never forget the "instinctive and selfless" actions of the men who died on this "sacred and hallowed ground."

The renamed highway, he said, will help ensure their memory lives on and inspires others to be heroes in their own lives.

State House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, saluted the other firefighters in attendance and offered his condolences to the families of the nine men.

"Even with the time that has passed, the wound is still fresh and it still hurts," he said.

Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Classen said people need to remember the firefighters left behind as well.

The Fire Department still struggles mightily with the loss as it moves forward, and firefighters need the community's understanding and support. "They deal with this every day," he said.

Fire Capt. Chris Villarreal understands this all too well. He fought the fire that night and lost close friends in the process.

"It's very hard," he said. "I suffer from this every day. A lot of people suffer."