2 die in N. Charleston house fire
Published on March 24th, 2008 - Nadine Parks of the Post and Courier

Adjacent homes damaged by blaze that killed homeless pair

Two homeless people died early Sunday in a raging house fire in North Charleston. Firefighters were sent about 2 a.m. to a little wooden house on Dayton Street in the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood near the former Charleston Naval Base.

Witnesses who called 911 to report the fire said they heard people yelling for help, according to North Charleston Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Phillips.

The home was consumed by fire when officials arrived. The blaze, which also threatened other structures, was too intense for firefighters to go inside, Phillips said. "It was a horrific fire," he said. "Everything burned."

The vinyl siding on the house next door melted. The home on the other side caught fire, but firefighters quickly extinguished it, Phillips said. Fifteen to 20 firefighters battled the flames. "The guys did a great job containing it," Phillips said.

Once the fire was out, the occupants of the adjacent homes were able to go back inside. Firefighters searched inside the little house and found the bodies of a man and woman.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten identified them as Joseph Nelson, 49, and Vivian Chambers, 58. Wooten said preliminary examinations indicate they died of smoke inhalation.

Phillips said the house had no electricity.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.