Damage in house fire as much as $8 million

Jeff Blake/jblake@thestate.com

Columbia firefighters pack up after putting out the last of the hot spots Tuesday afternoon following an early-morning fire at the home at 5055 Lakeshore Drive.

A fire that consumed a Lakeshore Drive home Monday night, causing between $6 million and $8 million in damage, was the most costly in recent years, said Deputy Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze at the 16,000-square-foot home, Jenkins said.

The home was last assessed at $2.6 million, according to Richland County tax records.

• Sanford seeks disaster status for tornadoes

Gov. Mark Sanford has asked President Bush to declare nine counties disaster areas after tornadoes and other severe weather ravaged the state more than a week ago.

Sanford says in a letter to Bush that the counties were rural, low-income areas with high unemployment rates, making recovery efforts more difficult.

The counties are Aiken, Allendale, Berkeley, Edgefield, Florence, Kershaw, Newberry, Orangeburg and Williamsburg.

• Lexington County needs more industrial sites

Lexington County needs to add sites available for new businesses, consultant Mark Williams told County Council on Tuesday.

An industrial park of 500-1,200 acres should be set aside and several smaller areas developed along I-20 and I-26, he said in a report suggesting ways to improve economic growth.

The county has six sites for new industry, the largest of which is 175 acres in Batesburg-Leesville.

CHARLESTON

• Highway to be named for 9 fallen firefighters

Part of a coastal highway will be named for the nine Charleston firefighters killed in a June 18 furniture store blaze.

State lawmakers have approved a bill that would name a nearly four-mile stretch of U.S. 17 in honor of the firefighters. The Post and Courier of Charleston reported Tuesday that the portion of the road will be named the “Charleston Nine Memorial Highway.”

SUMTER

• Expect noise as Shaw pilots take night flights

Shaw Air Force Base pilots will be practicing night flying skills this week. Neighbors may notice increased noise through Thursday. Shaw is the Air Force’s largest F-16 fighter jet base.

CLEMSON

• AT&T giving auto center at Clemson $2.4 million

AT&T Inc. and the AT&T Foundation will contribute $2.4 million to Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville, the university announced.

The multiyear gift includes financial contributions and infrastructure support. The auditorium in the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center will be named the AT&T Auditorium.

BEAUFORT COUNTY

• Details in Gerwing’s suicide to be discussed

Details about the apparent suicide of Dennis Gerwing — the “person of interest” in the disappearance of John and Elizabeth Calvert — are expected to be discussed at a news conference this morning, as well as details about the probe into the couple’s fate.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner has scheduled the briefing for 11 a.m. today at his office on Hilton Head Island. Tanner also will release incident reports related to Gerwing’s death March 11.

Contributing: Staff writers Ishmael Tate, Tim Flach, Sammy Fretwell, James T. Hammond and Noelle Phillips; The Associated Press; The (Hilton Head) Island Packet