Richland 1 mourns death of kindergartner in Columbia apartment fire, prays for his sister
A Richland County school district is grieving the loss of one of its young students.
Nathan Archie, a 6-year-old who died in an apartment fire off Garners Ferry Road in Columbia on Wednesday night, was a kindergartner at Caughman Road Elementary School.
“We extend our condolences to Nathan’s family, and we ask everyone to join us in keeping them and the students and staff at Caughman Road in your thoughts and prayers,” Richland 1 school district Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said in a statement. “We are also praying for Nathan’s sister, a fourth-grade student at Caughman Road, who remains hospitalized.”
Archie’s 9-year-old sister was injured in the fire and was in critical condition as of Thursday evening. She also attends Caughman Road Elementary.
Richland 1’s crisis team was at the school on Thursday and Friday to provide support and counseling to students and staff.
The Columbia Police Department is still investigating Archie’s death. Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said an autopsy was completed, but the office is still performing tests “to see if there was any soot found in the lung or in the airway to see if (Archie) was actually breathing when the fire overtook the structure.”
The two children were alone in an apartment at the time of the fire, Rutherford said. Archie’s parents were notified, but no information was provided about their whereabouts at the time of the fire.
