Judiciary
Fire that burned down home of judge who ruled in voter-data case is under investigation
South Carolina Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein presides over a trial July 8, 2014, in St. George, South Carolina. (Photo by Jeffrey Collins/The Associated Press)
Updated: Authorities have so far found no evidence of arson as they investigate the cause of a fire that destroyed the beachfront home of a South Carolina judge, injuring at least three of her family members.
Judge Diane Goodstein, 69, of the First Judicial Circuit in South Carolina was walking on the beach when the fire began at the Edisto Island home Saturday, FITSNews reports here and here.
The home’s occupants escaped by jumping from the elevated first floor, according to a Facebook post by the St. Paul’s Fire District. They were rescued by kayak from the backyard of the home, which was in a remote location on a barrier island.
“At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set,” said Mark Keel, the chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The Associated Press and Live 5 News are among the publications reporting on the statement.
Goodstein was in the news last month when she temporarily blocked the South Carolina Election Commission from providing voter registration information to the federal government. Her order was reversed by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Among those injured was Goodstein’s husband, former Democratic state legislator Arnold Goodstein, 81, who was airlifted to a Charleston, South Carolina, hospital, according to FITSNews. Unnamed family members told FITSNews that he was a hero because he made sure that everyone evacuated the home before jumping to escape smoke and flames.
Other publications with coverage include the New York Times, the Independent, the Guardian, the Daily Beast and Time.
South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge referenced an “explosion” at the property in an email update to judges; family accounts said the explosion may have been from the fire spreading to nearby vehicles, according to FITSNews.
Keel’s statement also indicated that preliminary findings found “no evidence to support a prefire explosion.”
Updated Oct. 7 at 9:09 a.m. to include additional reporting and comments from Mark Keel, the chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
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