By Dan McCue

CHARLESTON -- More than 30,000 firefighters from across the country are expected to converge on the city of Charleston and the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday for a memorial service to honor the nine firefighters who lost their lives in the Sofa Super Store fire Monday night.

As of Wednesday night, after the initial plans for the memorial service were announced by Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., delegations of firefighters from communities as far away as Massachusetts and California were scrambling to book flights and hotels rooms here.

All city of Charleston offices will be closed on Friday, during what Riley described as a “citywide day of mourning,” with the exception of public safety offices, recreational facilities and the Municipal Court.

Fire departments throughout the area also will be operational in the event of an emergency, but will be staffed by outside fire agencies, the city said.

At 8 a.m. Friday, a processional will begin in downtown Charleston, cross over into West Ashley, and continue on to the North Charleston Coliseum, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive. The memorial service will begin at 10 a.m.

The city is to announce road closures associated with the processional and service later today, but businesses expecting Friday morning deliveries along the processional streets should be prepared for delays.

Also expected to be affected Friday morning is the Tanger Outlet Center and Shoppes at Centre Pointe, which are directly across International Boulevard from the coliseum complex.

The South Carolina Firefighters’ Association is coordinating the memorial service in coordination with the city of Charleston. All inquiries about the service should be directed to a hotline manned by the Firefighters’ Association at (866) 915-3010.

Those wishing to contribute to a fund to assist firefighters’ families can make a donation to the City of Charleston’s Firemen’s Fund at any Bank of America location or can send donations to the City of Charleston Firemen’s Fund, c/o Bank of America, P.O. Box 304, Charleston, SC 29402.

First Federal Bank has also opened a Fire Relief Fund; donations can be made at any branch.

Condolences may be sent to the City of Charleston Fire Department, Attn: Firefighter Condolences, 262 Meeting St., Charleston, SC 29401.