4 Dead After Car Hits Building, Catches Fire

Four people died after the car they were in crashed into a building on George Rogers Boulevard around 5 a.m., Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.

The car caught on fire after hitting the Farm Bureau Insurance Building at the intersection of Shop Road and George Rogers Boulevard near Williams Brice Stadium.

Two males and two females died in the wreck, Watts said.

Because of the fire, the coroner's office won't release the identities of the victims until they can positively identify the bodies using x-rays, DNA or other methods, Watts said.

Roads near the wreck were closed until about 9:45 a.m. while police and emergency workers responded to the scene, according to The State newspaper.

The Columbia Police Department, the USC Police Department, the Columbia-Richland Fire Department and the South Carolina Highway Patrol are investigating the incident.