Fire in vacant building also guts law office in downtown Columbia, officials say
A longtime law office was one of two buildings that was severely damaged over the weekend by a fire in Columbia, according to South Carolina officials.
The South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center office at 1518 Washington Street suffered extensive damage in the Saturday morning fire, the non-profit organization said in a Facebook post. The fire started in the building next door to the S.C. Appleseed office, according to the post.
At about 4:20 a.m., the Columbia Fire Department said it responded to a blaze at a commercial property in the 1500 block of Washington Street. That’s near the intersection with Bull Street, and a few blocks from the junction with Gervais Street.
Firefighters saw flames shooting through the roof of the vacant building, and the two-alarm fire extended to the neighboring S.C. Appleseed office, according to the fire department.
Aerials were used to bring the fire under control and extinguish it, the fire department said.
No one was found inside either property and nobody was injured, according to the fire department.
“We are grateful to the local Columbia Fire Department for extinguishing the fire swiftly,” the S.C. Appleseed organization said in the Facebook post.
Information about the extent of the damage the buildings suffered, and if they are considered total losses was not available.
The 45-year-old S.C. Appleseed organization has made its home at 1518 Washington Street for 20 years, according to the post.
“We are deeply saddened to see the loss of many memories that we’ve made there during this time,” the S.C. Appleseed organization said in the post. “Despite the fire, our work continues. We are resilient and we will continue the fight for low income South Carolinians, regardless of where we work from.”
On its website, the legal justice center says it “fights for low income South Carolinians to overcome social, economic and legal injustice.”
In addition to the staff of attorneys, other employees who worked at the Washington Street office included outreach workers, community organizers as well as other support and administrative staff, according to the website.
“Our goal is to influence policymakers to ensure the law is fair, to educate the public and their advocates about the law, and to assist attorneys in bringing systemic litigation where the law is unfair,” the organization said on the website.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the fire department. Officials did not say if foul play was suspected.
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