Thousands Honor Charleston Fire Fighters

June 22, 2007 -- Thousands of fire fighters from across the nation gathered at the North Charleston Coliseum June 22 to honor their nine colleagues killed in a furniture store blaze June 18.

The nine fire officers and fire fighters were Captain William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48; Captain Theodore M. "Mike" Benke, 49; Captain Louis Mulkey, 34; engineer Mark Kelsey, 40; engineer Rodney Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37; assistant engineer Michael French, 27; fire fighter James "Earl" Drayton, 56; fire fighter Brandon Thompson, 27; and fire fighter Melven Champaign, 46.

Baity was treasurer of Charleston Local 61.

The investigation into the cause of the warehouse and the fire fighters’ deaths is still under way.

Read the media coverage:

Top row, from left: Brandon Thompson, Rodney “Brad” Baity, Louis Mulkey; middle row, from left: Mark Kelsey, Mike Benke, William Hutchinson; Bottom row, from left: Melven Champaign, Michael French, and James Drayton.

The IAFF has established THE IAFF CHARLESTON FIRE FIGHTERS JUNE 18 FUND to provide financial assistance to the families of the nine fire fighters who lost their lives in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 18, 2007. Contributions to this fund, which are not tax deductible as charitable contributions, can be mailed to the following address:

THE IAFF CHARLESTON FIRE FIGHTERS JUNE 18 FUND
c/o IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer’s Office
1750 New York Avenue, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006

Read the news coverage:
 
Thousands honor Charleston firefighters (MSNBC)

Charleston honors fallen firefighters (CNN)