‘Persons of interest’ weren’t involved in fire at Columbia landmark, police say
The six persons of interest initially sought by police were not involved in the fire that gutted the historic Babcock Building, the Columbia Police Department said Tuesday.
The six, who were shown in surveillance photos, were interviewed by police and did not have any knowledge about Saturday’s fire in the BullStreet District, police said.
Hours after the fire, police released surveillance pictures of people seen in the Bull Street area at the time of the fire, which caused the building’s signature cupola dome to collapse. By Sunday night, police said they had identified and interviewed the people. Two others also were identified, but they too had nothing to do with the fire, police said.
“The persons of interest have been cooperative and willingly came in to answer questions from (police and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division),“ police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons told The State.
In addition to their interviews, the people were cleared after investigators looked at additional surveillance video and pictures.
The investigation to determine the cause of the Babcock Building fire is ongoing, according to Timmons. Investigators are still trying to determine if the devastating blaze was arson.
In addition to Columbia police and SLED, the Columbia Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also investigating the fire.
At about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, 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, police said.
Responding firefighters found flames coming from the basement area. The fire eventually 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’ in 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 Avenue. 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. The project is one of several planned for the former S.C. State Hospital complex in what authorities have said is the largest development effort in Columbia’s history.
Hughes Development Corp. is the master developer of the 181-acre project, called BullStreet.
“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 Corp., 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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