Thrift store destroyed by fire in West Columbia

Meeting Street in West Columbia smelled like ash and burnt wood. A stream of blackened, debris-filled water ran down the side of the road.

The 600 to 800 blocks of Meeting Street were closed Saturday morning after a fire destroyed His House thrift store at 764 Meeting St. Fire crews got the call about the 2-alarm blaze around 1 a.m. Saturday, according to West Columbia Fire Chief Chris Smith. Crews continued to fight the blaze throughout the morning.

As of 9:30 a.m., a ladder still stretched across Meeting Street with a hose showering down the crumbled remains.

"A call came in with a fire with possible entrapment," Smith said. "It had some pretty heavy flames in the back of the building."

Flames spread from the back of the building into the store front and into an attached house where nine people were staying. Fire and police workers were able to get all nine people out. No injuries were reported.

The attached residence was "pretty much destroyed," Smith said, with the roof collapsed and only the outer brick standing.

His House provides jobs and housing for people recovering from substance use. Three locations remain open in the Columbia area.

This story was originally published June 23, 2018 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Thrift store destroyed by fire in West Columbia."