‘Almost like Mardi Gras.’ Columbia fire chief breaks up crowded pool party near USC
The Columbia Fire Department had to break up an overcrowded pool party where hundreds of revelers ignored the city’s mask ordinance and social distancing mandates.
At about 6 p.m. on Saturday, the fire department got tips from concerned citizens about a massive pool party at The Apartments at Palmetto Compress, Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins told The State.
“It was almost like Mardi Gras,” Jenkins said of the scene at the apartment complex that’s on Devine Street, near the intersection of Blossom and Huger streets. “I saw a large crowd in the pool, in the area on the side of the pool, and on top of the pool house.”
Jenkins estimated there were a couple hundred people crammed into the pool area.
“If nothing was going on (like the COVID-19 pandemic), there still would have been too many people in the pool,” Jenkins said. “Nobody was practicing social distancing. Nobody was wearing a mask. But there was lots of drinking going on.”
Jenkins said he got in touch with the apartment’s management and security, telling them he was breaking up the party and was ordering the pool closed until he returns to verify the pool area’s capacity.
He is going to recommend keeping the pool shut for the foreseeable future as a safety precaution during the coronavirus pandemic.
When he was getting the crowd to disperse, Jenkins said he was shocked that one person told him “I can’t catch COVID. I’m immune to the stuff.”
The first day of fall semester classes at the University of South Carolina started on Aug. 20. As of Thursday, 620 students had tested positive for the coronavirus and 553 of the cases remained active, according to USC. Additionally, six sorority houses in the university’s Greek Village have been quarantined after several people tested positive for the COVID-19 in each house.
“Am I concerned? Yes, I am,” USC president Bob Caslen said after 191 new cases were confirmed last Wednesday. “Is it acceptable? No. It’s not. I don’t know if you can sustain 191 positives.”
According to Palmetto Compress’ website, the complex with apartments ranging from $1,075 to $2,400 is “just steps from the University of South Carolina,” and features multiple pictures of young people in the pool.
USC was glad to see Columbia and the fire department take action, spokesman Jeff Stensland told The State Sunday.
“We’ve done a lot of outreach to try and get the students to do the right thing,” Stensland said. “Just because a pool is there, you don’t have to swim in it.”
Jenkins said no fines were issued, but not wearing a mask is a civil infraction with a fine up to $25, and businesses face a $100 penalty. This time the party goers were let off with a warning, but that won’t be the case if the fire department has to return, according to Jenkins.
The apartment’s management will also be punished if there are more issues, Jenkins said.
Messages left with management at Palmetto Compress were not immediately returned.
This story was originally published August 30, 2020 at 4:21 PM.
