Fire Destroys South Carolina Judge’s Home

Reports indicate that a fire tore through the home of Circuit Judge Diana Goodstein and her husband, former Democratic Senator Arnold Goodstein, in South Carolina on Saturday, resulting in three individuals needing hospitalization.

The blaze erupted around noon at their Edisto Beach residence, sending thick black smoke into the sky. Arnold Goodstein was forced to jump from the ground floor to escape the flames, as noted by the Post and Courier.

Neighbors and paramedics managed to rescue Arnold and two other individuals from a damp area behind the three-story house, according to local resident Tom Peterson.

Emergency workers were contacted quickly, and reports confirm that one person was taken to South Carolina Medical College while the others were brought to the University of South Carolina for treatment, as mentioned by KC Campbell from the Colleton County Fire Force.

Sources close to the family revealed that Arnold Goodstein was airlifted after escaping the fire. He suffered multiple broken bones in his hips, legs, and feet.

Diana Goodstein, age 69, was reportedly out walking her dog on the beach when the fire broke out in their gated community home, as Peterson told the Post and Courier.

The conditions of all three individuals rescued were not immediately available.

Judge Diana Goodstein, a South Carolina native, has been serving on the bench since her election in May 1998.

Arnold Goodstein, her husband, has a history in the South Carolina Senate during the 1970s and has been a Democrat representing Charleston County.

He also previously managed Summerville Homes, a significant homebuilding company that ceased operations in 2008 and filed for $61 million in bankruptcy, according to reports.

Public records indicate that the couple has two children, Arnold Samuel Goodstein II and Eve Schafer Goodstein.

The state’s law enforcement officials are currently investigating the fire, but the cause of the incident remains unclear.