“What I want everybody to know is that we will always remember the Charleston Nine,” he said. “Their families are our family, and we’ll always uplift them. We can’t take away the pain that they experience, but we can make sure that we walk alongside them and help them shoulder it.”

Just after 7 p.m. on June 18, 2007, a fire was reported at the Sofa Super Store on West Ashley’s Savannah Highway. It soon engulfed the back of the building before spreading into the showroom, burning furniture.

Firefighters from Engine Co. 11, who were in the middle of dinner, raced to the scene, followed soon by fire crews from the Avondale station and another on Ashley Hall Plantation Road. They were soon joined by crews from downtown, the St. Andrews Fire Department and elsewhere — both on duty and off.

Within a half hour a firefighter inside cried “Mayday!” over his radio. Some who were trapped inside made their way to the front, where firefighters outside smashed windows and pulled them out. Other firefighters rushed in, trying to save their own.

Shortly after, the steel truss system supporting the roof collapsed, killing nine inside.

With his 27th anniversary with the department next week, Division Chief William Perez said he wasn’t on call that night but came in to help however he could. It was one of the longest nights of his career, he said.

“I do remember that, and it was tough,” Perez said. “It was tough for the whole brotherhood of the CFD, and we still live through it every day.”

In addition to the annual evening ceremony, Charleston Fire Department personnel held a watch at the flagpole of the memorial park on June 18, beginning at midnight and continuing for 24 hours — minus a brief break given the thunderstorms. Men and women of every rank, every division voluntarily changed out every 30 minutes to pay their respects and remember the Charleston 9’s unwavering dedication, Curia said.