Neighbors rescue dog from downtown Charleston duplex fire

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Officials say it appears cigarettes are to blame for the fire which damaged a duplex on Line Street in downtown Charleston early Thursday.

According to Charleston Fire Battalion Chief Mike Julazadeh, the fire at 105 Line Street originated on the rear porch on the second floor, where a trash can was filled with "discarded smoking materials."

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire officials say five people were upstairs at the house when the blaze started a little before 12:30 a.m. One resident said they heard a popping sound before they saw flames and quickly exited the duplex.  On the way out, they rescued a dog from the apartment downstairs.

There were no functioning fire alarms upstairs.

Julazadeh said firefighters arrived on scene and had the blaze under control within four minutes.

Officials say the home, located between Percy and Coming streets, was moderately damaged. Fire damage was limited primarily to the porch, with moderate fire damage extending into the kitchen of the second-floor unit.

The first floor of the building suffered water damage from the sprinkler system. No people were home in the first-floor unit at the time of the fire, Julazadeh added.

The fire department reminds residents to maintain working smoke alarms and to discard smoking materials safely.

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