Police interview persons of interest following fire at Babcock Building in Columbia
A day after a massive fire gutted the historic Babcock Building, six persons of interest have been identified and are being interviewed by the Columbia Police Department.
Hours after releasing photos of people seen on surveillance footage in the Bull Street area at the time of Saturday’s fire, police said the people were being questioned. The persons of interest were seen on foot and in a red truck in the photos.
Investigators are gathering more information about the blaze from the persons of interest, police tweeted Sunday night.
No arrests have been reported by police.
The origin of the fire is being investigated by the Richland County Fire Marshal, the Columbia Fire Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in addition to the police.
In spite of the interviews with the persons of interest, police are still asking anyone with information about the fire to call 911, or CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
It was about 6:30 a.m. when police said an officer on patrol in the 2100 block of Bull Street detected a strong odor of smoke and saw a dense layer of fog hovering in the area.
Responding firefighters found flames coming from the basement area, as fire engulfed all three floors of the vacant building and gutted the interior, according to Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins. The three-alarm blaze was the “largest structure fire we’ve had in several years,” Jenkins said.
More than 50 firefighters, using 14 firetrucks, along with support from the Fort Jackson Fire Department worked to extinguish the massive and quickly-spreading flames for more than 10 hours, according to police.
It’s estimated the fire likely caused millions of dollars’ worth of damages to the landmark building, police said.
The fire burned the historic building’s roof, including the iconic cupola dome and caused several structural collapses inside.
The building was known for its iconic red cupola, which could be seen from Bull Street, or by drivers heading toward it on Elmwood Street, at the end of Interstate 126. The Babcock Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, before it was vacated in the 1990s.
The Babcock Building was slated to be redeveloped into nearly 200 apartments by Clachan Properties, a Virginia company that specializes in historical renovation.
“Though the iconic dome and the central portions of the interior are destroyed, we are thankful that the Columbia Fire Department was able to contain most of the damage to the central portion of the building,” Robert Hughes, president of Hughes Development Corporation said in a statement from the BullStreet District. “We are working closely with various law enforcement agencies to help determine the cause of the fire and will support Clachan as they move forward.”
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This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 4:14 AM.
