A devastating fire tore through the waterfront home of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diana Goodstein and her husband, former Democratic state senator Arnold Goodstein, on Saturday. The blaze left three people injured and hospitalized, authorities confirmed.
Fire Breaks Out at Edisto Beach Home
The fire erupted around midday at the couple’s residence in the Jeremy Cay gated community on Edisto Beach, a barrier island southwest of Charleston. Thick black smoke filled the sky, drawing emergency responders and neighbors to the scene.
🚨Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s South Carolina Edisto Beach home was engulfed in flames following an apparent explosion. Her husband, a former Democratic state senator, is in the hospital after leaping from the house.
#BreakingNews #SouthCarolina pic.twitter.com/goQsGWWXdV
— LoudFact (@loudfactcom) October 6, 2025
Arnold Goodstein was forced to leap from the first floor of their three-story home to escape the flames. Several neighbors and paramedics later rescued him and two others from a marshy area behind the property.
“They were in a remote, difficult-to-reach spot,” local resident Tom Peterson told The Post and Courier. Emergency workers reportedly used kayaks to reach the trio, according to the St. Paul’s Fire District.
Injuries and Hospitalization
Colleton County Fire Rescue Captain KC Campbell said one person was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina, while the other two were transported by ambulance.
Sources told FitsNews that Arnold Goodstein sustained multiple fractures to his hips, legs, and feet when he jumped from the burning home.
Judge Diana Goodstein, 69, was walking on the beach with her dogs when the fire consumed the property. Peterson said she returned to find her four-bedroom, four-bathroom waterfront home engulfed in flames.
Authorities have not yet released updates on the condition of the three individuals rescued.
Investigation Underway
The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed it is investigating the fire, but the cause has not yet been determined. Officials continued to assess the scene as of Sunday evening.
Background on the Goodsteins
Judge Goodstein, a South Carolina native, was first elected to the state’s Circuit Court in May 1998 and has served continuously since.
Her husband, Arnold Goodstein, represented Charleston County in the South Carolina House and later the State Senate during the 1970s. He also led Summerville Homes, which filed for bankruptcy in 2008, reporting debts exceeding $61 million.
The couple share two children, Arnold Samuel Goodstein II and Eve Schafer Goodstein.
