Former Charleston firefighter Matthew Burdick has resigned from the Charleston Fire Department after nine years, saying mold conditions at Station 12 left him with severe brain fog, respiratory symptoms requiring medication, gastrointestinal pain, and extreme fatigue. His account, reported May 21 by Live 5 News, follows a May 11 investigation that found at least 12 of Charleston's 17 fire stations have had documented mold issues going back nearly a decade.
Station 12 was closed for mold in December 2024 and again in April 2025, according to Live 5. Burdick told the station that after the second reopening, the air vent that had been the source of the problem appeared unchanged, and he triggered another shutdown. Public records obtained by the outlet show at least four firefighters seeking medical treatment for mold-related conditions, with one undergoing a procedure to drain fluid from a knee.
Dr. Michael Bauerschmidt, an environmental-medicine physician treating Burdick, told Live 5 that Burdick's presentation 'resembled the average patient he has who was exposed to mold' and warned that repeated exposure plus operational smoke and chemical exposure at fires made his ongoing service untenable. Charleston Fire Chief Dan Curia said the department addresses every concern reported and has renovated seven stations to date, with two more in progress this year. Burdick has filed a workers' compensation claim.