A luxury apartment community in lower Berkeley County said it has corrected all of dozens of fire code violations before an Oct. 13 deadline to fix the problems or risk losing its license to occupy the 11-building complex along Clements Ferry Road.
The Cainhoy Rural Fire and Rescue Department and the Berkeley County fire inspector found 64 violations at the Sweetwater apartments during an inspection on Aug. 24.
“Though none of the issues identified by the fire department presented a risk to health and safety, we took immediate steps to address the concerns. All items have been resolved ahead of the deadline,” said a Sweetwater spokesman who asked to not be identified.
“Creating safe and welcoming environments for residents is our highest priority; in addition to any required inspections, we routinely review all aspects of our property,” he said.
According to a Sept. 4 report, inspectors saw a slew of violations throughout the common areas at Sweetwater where a three-bedroom, two-bath apartment rents for $2,700 per month.
Among the violations, authorities cited Sweetwater for obstructed fire sprinklers, missing safety signs, empty fire extinguishers and inoperable emergency lights. On Oct. 2, the Charleston City Paper spotted an empty fire extinguisher near a grill at the swimming pool at the edge of Beresford Creek’s scenic shoreline. Two days later, new fire extinguishers arrived at the 320-unit complex in the Wando community, Berkeley County spokesperson Jenna-Ley Jamison said.
The most serious violation was an insect or bird’s nest obstructing a sprinkler nozzle, fire officials said. The obstruction was removed during the inspection, said Steve Goodwin, Cainhoy’s deputy chief. Two other violations were corrected during the inspection, according to the report. Trash was removed from under the stairs in an elevator vestibule.
Cainhoy fire chief Charles Alston said if the violations were severe the department would have immediately closed the complex. The last Sweetwater inspection in February 2022 found nine violations, Alston added.
A long list of violations
“Discrepancies are commonplace in these inspections from the fire department, and we always work to comply with the instructions of the fire department as soon as possible after they are received,” the Sweetwater spokesman said.
Sweetwater is owned by the Boston-based West Shore, which also owns two other tri-county apartment communities. The company owns Slate Nexton Apartments in Summerville and 17 South Apartments where a sprinkler system contained an April 2022 fire.
Sweetwater resident Eric Bolen called the fire department and asked for the inspection. “Those violations didn’t happen overnight,” said Bolen, a former firefighter. “I think things piled up on them, and they didn’t know what to do so they chose to do nothing.
“I have done [firefighting] for a long time, and I have the knowledge that a typical person would not necessarily have,” said Bolen, who currently trains firefighters. “An apartment fire in Columbia in May 2023 resulted in a firefighter losing his life,” Bolen said. “Another fire in Summerville resulted in two fatalities.
“Apartment fires can be extra dangerous to residents and the responders when there are that many people in a small area. That is why those emergency lights are important to help people evacuate the building.”
Other problems after the inspection
Goodwin stressed that many of the Sweetwater violations “are fairly common inspection findings for commercial buildings. But it definitely is a large amount of them,” he said. Because there were so many violations, he referred the case to Berkeley County Fire Marshal Jerry Kale.
In another community, Summerville Fire Department Capt. Jeremiah Lee said the large number of violations is unusual, but the kind of infractions are common for commercial buildings and apartment communities.
Sweetwater was originally given until Sept. 24 to fix the violations but was granted an extension until Oct. 13.
The Sweetwater spokesman said, “In an incident unrelated to the fire department report, it was discovered that two sprinkler nozzles had been tampered with, which resulted in setting off the sprinkler heads. The issue was addressed and resolved immediately by the property. Any issues with the impacted units are covered by renters’ insurance.”
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.