Chimney Sweep Near Me Edisto Beach, SC

EDISTO ISLAND — No human factors contributed to the blaze that burned a South Carolina judge’s home to the ground sparking a stream of speculation about what — or who — was responsible for the inferno, according to new details from the local fire department.

The Edisto Beach Fire Department received the first reports of a house fire at 10:38 a.m. on Oct. 4, according to an incident report provided to The Post and Courier on Oct. 16. The newspaper submitted a public records request for the document on Oct. 6.

What triggered the fire has not been determined, with the newly released report only stating no human act was a contributor.

SLED Chief Mark Keel previously stated the cause is not believed to be arson.

The three-story, 4,200-square-foot home belonged to Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein and her husband, former state senator Arnold Goodstein. Edisto Island residents and faraway social media users alike began wondering if the cause was related to Goodstein’s recent ruling that temporarily blocked a demand from President Donald Trump’s administration for voter data. The speculation began while video footage of crackling orange flames and a thick plume of black smoke spread online.

Within 13 minutes of the first call, units had arrived at the home after navigating the thin dirt road and green metal gates that block the private Jeremy Cay Community off from the public.

The home sits off Planters Retreat Drive and atop a peninsula, according to the report. The position of the flames that engulfed the home and three vehicles blocked first responders from reaching four people who were stranded in the marshy backyard.

As firefighters began drafting water out of a nearby pond, EMS and good Samaritans devised a plan to rescue the former legislator and three family members. The judge was not home when the fire began.

A neighbor’s canoe floated the family from the peninsula to an adjacent bank, where they were transported to hospitals.

At one point during the three hours and 35 minutes that firefighters remained on the scene, one unit had to “reposition their apparatus due to explosions at the front of the house,” according to the incident report, which does not further elaborate about the explosions.

The report, which was printed at 5:12 p.m. on Oct. 7, said it was “undetermined” what first ignited the blaze, where it originated or what was the heat source.

It was not confirmed whether a detector was present in the home, though the report did clarify that no auto-extinguishing system was found.

Property damage was estimated at $2 million and $150,000 in content losses resulted from the blaze.

The report clarified that no human factors contributed to the incident. The cause of ignition was listed as “under investigation,” which is being led by the State Law Enforcement Division.

Keel issued a statement on Oct. 6 that confirmed SLED had not found any evidence that indicated the fire was deliberately set or caused by a detonation.

The agency has not made another public statement. Its investigation remains ongoing.

Three people were hospitalized with injuries as a result of the fire.

Edisto Island, South Carolina —

A blaze that engulfed the South Carolina home of a state circuit court judge and her husband, a former state senator, is under investigation, authorities said.

Firefighters from multiple fire departments responded to the fire at Edisto Beach in Colleton County on Saturday afternoon. The house is owned by Judge Diane Goodstein and her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein. Three people were hospitalized after the blaze, according to a press release from the Town of Edisto Beach.

“At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set,” Mark Keel, chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, said in a statement Monday afternoon. “SLED Agents have preliminarily found there is no evidence to support a pre-fire explosion. The investigation into the fire is still active and ongoing.”

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

“At this point in the investigation there is no evidence the horrific fire at Judge Goodstein’s Edisto home was intentionally set,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster added in a post on X. “I echo Chief Keel’s call for everyone to exercise good judgment and avoid sharing unverified information while the investigation continues.”

St. Paul’s Fire District said in a post the people inside the home escaped by jumping from an elevated first floor, adding due to the remote nature of the lot, “the occupants had to be rescued from the backyard via kayaks.”

One patient was evacuated by air to the Medical University of South Carolina. Two others were taken to the same hospital, according to Colleton County Fire Rescue Capt. K.C. Campbell, WCSC reported.

Videos on social media and broadcast by CNN affiliates showed fierce flames engulfing the beachfront property with plumes of smoke rising into the air.

“Chief Justice John W. Kittredge is aware of an incident involving Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein. At this time, SLED is on the scene and will begin investigating as soon as the fire has been contained,” the court said Saturday in the statement.

“Local law enforcement partners have been alerted and asked to provide extra patrols and security. The Judicial Branch will remain in close communication with SLED.”

CNN has reached out to Judge Goodstein for comment.

A Public Affairs Officer with the FBI in South Carolina told CNN they are not involved with the investigation with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

CNN’s Dianne Gallagher, Sara Smart and Jason Morris contributed to this report.

First responders in South Carolina’s Lowcountry provided accounts of their efforts to try and contain a massive conflagration at the Edisto Beach, S.C. home of state circuit court judge Diane Goodstein and her husband, former state senator Arnold Goodstein, on Saturday (October 4, 2025).

Accounts of the fire – first reported by FITSNews – quickly went viral and garnered international attention as questions were raised almost immediately about its potential origin. Sources familiar with the initial response to the blaze indicated there were suspicions of arson, while S.C. chief justice John Kittredge referenced an “explosion” on the property in an email update to judges.

According to our sources, agents of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have not immediately uncovered evidence of criminality associated with the fire – although their investigation is “active and ongoing,” per a statement from the agency’s public information director, .

As of this writing, no official cause of the fire has been revealed.

The fire reportedly began on Saturday morning at Goodstein’s home – located at 18 Planters Retreat on Edisto Beach. It swiftly began consuming the four-bedroom, four-bathroom, three-story structure – which overlooks the marsh adjacent to the causeway connecting Edisto Beach to Edisto Island.

Judge Goodstein – who had reportedly been on the receiving end of death threats in recent months – was not in the home at the time the fire began. Her husband, son and at least one grandchild were inside the home, however.

“Crews went right to work extinguishing the fire and looking for occupants,” an update from the St. Paul’s Fire District (SPFD) noted. “This area is located on a barrier island with significant challenges such as limited water supply and tight areas.”

“The first arriving crews worked flawlessly together to ensure the safety of the occupants (who) escaped via jumping from an elevated first floor,” the update continued.

That’s consistent with our original reporting, which noted Goodstein’s husband sustained serious injuries as he “leapt from the burning structure after assisting family members in their evacuation.”

“Due to the remoteness and layout of the lot, the occupants had to be rescued from the backyard via kayaks and brought to Colleton County EMS where they received medical aid,” the SPFD update continued.

Arnold Goodstein was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston where he is reportedly being treated for multiple fractures in his hips, legs and feet. He is expected to undergo surgery for those injuries at some point on Monday (October 6, 2025). Goodstein’s son, Arnold Goodstein II, and one of his grandchildren were also hospitalized in the aftermath of the blaze with reported fractures.

Family members familiar with the circumstances surrounding the blaze credited the elder Goodstein with braving smoke and flames to ensure all of his relatives had been evacuated from the home prior to jumping from the elevated first floor balcony.

The elder Goodstein was “a total hero,” according to one family member familiar with the circumstances of the evacuation.

According to family accounts, reports of the “explosion” referenced by justice Kittredge may have been linked to the fire spreading and consuming nearby vehicles – causing their fuel tanks to detonate.

“It was so hot the cars exploded,” a family member familiar with the situation confirmed.

While the investigation into what caused the fire continues, Kittredge was reportedly taking steps to ensure judges’ safety.

“Local law enforcement partners have been alerted and asked to provide extra patrols and security,” Kittredge said in a statement attributed to the S.C. supreme court. “The Judicial Branch will remain in close communication with SLED.”

Judge Goodstein – who is originally from Dillon, S.C. – was elected by the S.C. General Assembly to be a resident judge of the S.C. first judicial circuit in 1998. She has served continuously on the bench ever since. In recent months, she has presided over several high-profile cases – with several sources close to her indicating she had received death threats tied to some of them.

Stay tuned to FITSNews as we continue to update our audience on the very latest developments in this case…

Law enforcement addresses arson speculation…

is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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State investigators are trying to find the cause of a fire that destroyed a judge’s $1.5 million home on a South Carolina island.

The State Law Enforcement Division confirmed Monday it is investigating the fire, but has released no other details about a possible cause or the people in the home.

Goodstein temporarily blocked South Carolina from giving the U.S. Department of Justice its entire state voter database.

She has been a state judge for 27 years, handling thousands of cases. Her husband, Arnold Goldstein, is a former state senator who was twice awarded a Bronze Star for his service during the Vietnam War, according to a story in The New York Times.

newspaper reported that the judge told a neighbor she was walking her dogs on the beach when the home caught fire.

Local law enforcement is providing extra patrols and security as state agents investigate, Chief Justice John Kittredge said in a statement.

The Saturday blaze nearly burned to the ground the house linked through property records to Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein on a remote part of Edisto Island, authorities said.

Video from the fire department showed the home fully engulfed in flames. Drone photos taken over the scene later showed only a few charred wooden supports standing amid the blackened rubble.

Goodstein has been a state judge for 27 years, handling thousands of cases. Her husband, Arnold Goodstein is a former state senator who was twice awarded a Bronze Star for his service during the Vietnam War.

Local law enforcement is providing extra patrols and security as state agents investigate, Chief Justice John Kittredge said in a statement.

Three people were hurt in the blaze and one of them was taken by helicopter to the Medical University of South Carolina, according to Colleton County Fire-Rescue. The names of the people hurt were not released.

The house’s first floor is elevated from the ground and the injured had to jump to the ground. Several then had to be rescued by kayaks from the swampy backyard, the St. Paul’s Fire District said in a statement on social media.

Last month, Goodstein blocked the South Carolina Election Commission from releasing voter data requested by the U.S. Department of Justice. Her restraining order was lifted about a week later by the state Supreme Court, which stated that Goodstein failed to demonstrate that the voter who sued would suffer irreparable harm or prove she was likely to win the suit on the merits.

State election officials said they are still working on an agreement with federal officials to make sure the privacy of the voter data is protected.

The General Assembly elects judges in South Carolina and when Goodstein last ran for her seat in 2022, the Judicial Merit Screening Commission noted her sterling reputation and temperament and called her as asset to the state.

Nearly two decades ago, Goodstein presided over a civil lawsuit that led to a $12 million settlement between victims of sexual abuse and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston.

She also presided in 2014 over a property dispute trial between the national Episcopal Church and the breakaway Diocese of South Carolina which spilt over theological differences, including the authority of Scripture and the ordination of gays.

Last month, Goodstein blocked the South Carolina Election Commission from releasing voter data requested by the U.S. Department of Justice. Her restraining order was lifted about a week later by the state Supreme Court, which stated that Goodstein failed to demonstrate that the voter who sued would suffer irreparable harm or prove she was likely to win the suit on the merits.

State election officials said they are still working on an agreement with federal officials to make sure the privacy of the voter data is protected.

Editor’s Note: The majority of this story was reported and written by The Associated Press. Other sources include the New York Times, social media and the newspaper the Post and Courier.

South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s vacation home burned nearly to the ground on Saturday, and the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Law enforcement officials in the state told NBC there was no evidence the fire was the result of arson “at this time,” although the investigation is ongoing.

Goodstein, 69, was on a walk with her dogs on the beach when an “apparent explosion” went off, South Carolina Chief Justice John Kittredge told The Guardian.

Her husband, Arnold Goodstein, their son and one other person jumped from the home’s elevated first floor to the ground. “I’m told there were injuries from the fall, such as broken legs,” Kittredge said.

Rescue services retrieved them from the water in kayaks. A helicopter then took Arnold Goodstein to the Medical University of South Carolina.

“At this time, we do not know whether the fire was accidental or arson. Until that determination is made, (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) chief Mark Keel has alerted local law enforcement to provide extra patrols and security,” Kittredge added.

A devastating fire consumed the Edisto Beach home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein this weekend.Three family members, including her husband, former State Senator Arnold Goodstein, were hospitalized after escaping the blaze.SLED is investigating. As officials work to… pic.twitter.com/ij1kEHvnTv

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) October 6, 2025

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is still investigating the cause of the fire.

SLED Chief Mark Keel told NBC News that “at this time there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set” and that SLED agents “have preliminarily found there is no evidence to support a pre-fire explosion.”

Keel urged “citizens, elected officials, and members of the press to exercise good judgment and not share information that has not been verified.”

Goodstein had been under scrutiny and had received death threats in the weeks leading up to the fire, Time magazine reported.

In September, Goodstein temporarily blocked South Carolina’s election commission from releasing voter information to the Justice Department. The decision was quickly reversed by South Carolina’s Supreme Court.

The fire quickly led to partisan bickering over who was to blame.

On Sunday night, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., claimed on X the fire was lit by “the extreme right” and was the fault of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and President Donald Trump “doxxing and threatening judges who rule against (them).”

Miller responded that the Trump administration was trying to “combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence.”

Miller then referenced Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general, Jay Jones, who has recently come under fire for politically violent text messages sent in 2022.

“While you post your libelous madness, we will keep focused on delivering public safety and fighting domestic terror,” Miller said.

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