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South Carolina authorities on Monday said there was no evidence to suggest that the fire that destroyed the million-dollar waterfront mansion belonging to a state judge was deliberately set.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel announced that the blaze that burned Judge Goodstein’s Edisto home didn’t appear to be intentionally set.
“I echo Chief Keel’s call for everyone to exercise good judgment and avoid sharing unverified information while the investigation continues,” Gov. Henry McMaster wrote on X.
Images and aerial videos show flames and black smoke billowing out of the home, which is on an exclusive island in Colleton County.
While authorities did not immediately release the homeowners’ names, the Post and Courier identified them as Circuit Court Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein, 69, and her husband, Arnold Goodstein, 81, a former member of both houses of the state legislature.
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He once served as the commissioner of the South Carolina Department of Transportation and before that was wounded in the Tet offensive in the Vietnam War. He received a Bronze Star for heroism in action, twice, according to his state legislature bio.
Three people were hurt. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by law enforcement.
Judge Goodstein reportedly told the Daily Mail Monday that she is “all right,” before deferring further comment to the court administrator.
She has been a judge since 1998, according to her online bio. Last month, she ruled against the Justice Department in a dispute over voter data with the South Carolina elections commission, but she was later overruled by a higher court.
Firefighters from St. Paul Fire District assisted the Edisto Beach Fire Department extinguishing the blaze on Edisto Island, a waterfront community about an hour’s drive southwest of Charleston.
“This area is located on a barrier island with significant challenges such as limited water supply and tight areas,” St. Paul officials said in a Facebook post. As a result, first responders used kayaks to rescue the occupants from their backyard as the house went up in flames.
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Arnold Goodstein suffered injuries after jumping out of a window facing the backyard to escape the flames, the Post and Courier reported. The judge was walking their dogs at the time.
Three people were reportedly injured in the blaze. The couple have two adult children.
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Authorities released a photo showing the towering waterfront home dwarfed by flames and clouds of black smoke.
A spokesperson for the State Law Enforcement Division, confirmed that state investigators were looking into the cause of the blaze.
“The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating a house fire that occurred on Saturday, October 4, 2025, in Colleton County,” Renée Wunderlich, the agency’s director of public information, told Fox News Digital. “SLED’s investigation is active and ongoing. More information may be available as the case continues.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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