Massive fire tears through Upstate SC city’s downtown, six small businesses – Post and Courier

Sep 18, 2026

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A fire gutted a number of businesses in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
A fire gutted a number of business in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
Upstate Editor

Eric is the Upstate Editor for The Post and Courier. He’s covered and directed news in the region for the past two decades, previously as a reporter for The Greenville News and as a USA TODAY correspondent. He studied journalism at the University of South Carolina.
A fire gutted a number of businesses in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
WALHALLA — A massive early-morning fire laid waste to six businesses in downtown Walhalla, leaving the small town in the far western corner of the state smoldering as officials searched for a cause.
The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 17 and consumed seven storefronts, City Administrator David Poulson said.
No one was injured, but six small businesses were destroyed.
Firefighters from multiple agencies as far-reaching as Spartanburg responded.
The businesses burned down were Alexander’s Coffee House & Cafe, retailer Middle of Main, Carolina Pizza Company, El Mundo Hispanico grocery, Mexican restaurant Los Arcos and a business that leases short-term office space, Mayor Tim Hall said.
The seventh storefront was vacant.
A fire gutted a number of business in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
Hall said he has heard from leaders in the business community and county and state lawmakers pledging to support the city of fewer than 5,000 as its businesses rebuild.
Walhalla’s quaint downtown is nicknamed “Main Street to the Mountains” because the street leads to the Sumter National Forest and base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s nearly 40 miles west of Greenville.
“We want to support our small businesses, make sure that they’re able to remain viable, that they’re able to re-establish themselves, because the heart of downtown Walhalla is just an incredible place,” Hall said.
Oconee County Council Chairman Matthew Durham said the county will join in the recovery effort and expects the support to be similar to that in the wake of the destructive EF-3 tornado in nearby Seneca in 2020.
“It’s devastating,” Durham said. “At times like this in Oconee County, the community always pulls together.”
Owners of one of the businesses, Los Arcos, asked the community to provide suggestions on a temporary space the restaurant could operate from.
“We are heartbroken and still trying to process what has happened,” ownership posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “We know rebuilding will take a long time, but with faith, strength, and the support of our community, we will find a way forward.”
Kenna Coe in Charleston contributed to this report.
A fire gutted a number of businesses in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
A fire gutted a number of business in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
A fire gutted a number of businesses in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
A fire gutted a number of business in downtown Walhalla on Sept. 17.
Follow Eric on X at @cericconnor.
Upstate Editor

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