There’s no sign of arson in the weekend fire that destroyed the beachfront home owned by South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, the state’s top law enforcement official said Monday.
“At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set,” State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Chief Mark Keel said in a statement. “SLED agents have preliminarily found there is no evidence to support a pre-fire explosion.”
Keel said his agents would publish a report once they completed their investigation and determined a cause, and did not elaborate.
The blaze broke out during the day Saturday, quickly enveloping the entire house in flames. While there were some reports of an explosion beforehand, that had not been corroborated. Three people were hospitalized, one of them airlifted, after jumping out a back window to escape. They included Goodstein’s husband, former Democratic state lawmaker Arnold Goodstein, who reportedly broke several bones.
Responders needed kayaks to reach the home’s occupants, including the injured, given the house’s location among trees and abutting a marsh.
Arson accusations started flying even as the rubble that had once been the $1.1 million house still smoldered. The arson assumption flared against the backdrop of threats against judges who have been challenging Trump administration policies as well as against those upholding conservative interpretations of the law.
The fire came about a month after Goodstein temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for sensitive information on the state’s registered voters, a ruling soon reversed by the state Supreme Court.
It is rare for SLED to make statements about investigations that are in progress, but Keel took the opportunity to quell all the speculation and quash misinformation.
“I urge our citizens, elected officials, and members of the press to exercise good judgement and not share information that has not been verified,” wrote Keel. He was backed by Gov. Henry McMaster.
“SLED Chief Mark Keel has announced that at this point in the investigation there is no evidence the horrific fire at Judge Goodstein’s Edisto home was intentionally set,” McMaster wrote on X. “I echo Chief Keel’s call for everyone to exercise good judgment and avoid sharing unverified information while the investigation continues.”
With News Wire Services
