Also there that night was Bates College student Phil Barr, who was home for winter break. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. He was worried about his brother Tracy who worked there as a bouncer. And that's when the crowd realizes this is a real danger and we have to get out of here. [21] The fire spread throughout the building and was completely engulfed within six minutes of the pyrotechnic ignition. ", "20 years later, the effects of the Station nightclub fire still linger - The Boston Globe", "The Great White Nightclub Fire: Ten Years Later", "In West Warwick firefighters' hearts, the disaster isn't over", "How a West Warwick restaurant became a triage center for burn victims", "20th anniversary of New England nightclub fire that killed 100", "State supreme court to review penalty for employee deaths in R.I. fire - UPI.com", "Workers comp. [28], Of the 462 people in the building for the concert, 100 were killed, 230 were injured, and 132 escaped uninjured. [tears up, shaking his head]. Gina Russo of Cranston, R.I. is a survivor of the Station nightclub fire and president of The Station Fire Memorial Foundation. According to author Scott James, Great White had reportedly used a large pyro display without permission at other clubs, including just days before the fire at a show in New Jersey. Dan McKee honored the victims, their families, and the first responders who saved many lives. Warner lived next to The Station and had met the brothers. Linda will forever wear the scars of that horrible night. [21] A total of 462 people were in attendance, even though the club's maximum licensed capacity was cited as 404.[2]. "48 Hours" is not showing any of that footage. [104] The legislation would create a tax incentive for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems. And he's like he don't know. Dan Biechele, center, at his sentencing. In 2003, 100 people died and over 200 were injured at a rock concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. MICHAEL DERDERIAN: I plead not guilty, your honor. As a result of this and other similar incidents, fire chiefs, fire marshals and inspectors require trained crowd managers to comply with the International Fire Code, NFPA-101 Life Safety Code, NFPA-1 Fire Code and many local ordinances that address safety in public-assembly occupancies. He doesn't know. She saw friends who had lost people they loved, others who had been burned and scarred by the fire, and felt embarrassed that she got out physically unharmed. The four exits inside The Station: "There's an exit near the stage an exit through the kitchen. [62], In a letter to the victims' families, Judge Darigan wrote that he accepted the deal because he wanted to avoid "Public exposition of the tragic, explicit and horrific events experienced by the victims of this fire, both living and dead. They were told to take it down. [2], Prior to the fire, the Station often hosted concerts by 1980s hard rock groups and tribute bands. But 15 years later, she said, its time for her to move out of its shadow. But does that mean it's not a crime? It was that fast. But what they received was highly flammable packing foam. Barr was now outside, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. [12] Russell's relation with some survivors and families has been strained, although he remains close to Longley's family. Last year, he was charged with striking a woman for whom he was a caretaker. When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. The morning after the fire, the lead singer of Great White, Jack Russell, claimed the brothers had given the band permission to set off the fireworks. Linda Saran: Yes. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, did not. Jeff Derderian: Why is it OK that the fire marshal is allowed to miss something or make a mistake and what he did was just an oops, but what we did was criminal? I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. Linda Saran: It's like a riptide. And a quarter of those people didn't get to go home ever," says survivor Linda Saran, who was severely burned in the fire at The Station nightclub. [42][43] The Station, which was built in 1946, was exempt from a sprinkler requirement in the state fire code through a grandfather clause, which stated that buildings constructed before 1976 were not required to have a sprinkler system. He got a tire iron from his car, smashed the glass, and started pulling people out. If they stood up and said, small business owners, we were inexperienced. [2][46] On December 9, 2003, the grand jury announced indictments against Station owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and Great White road manager Daniel M. Nightclub Fire", "WHJY, Clear Channel offer $22M Station fire settlement", "Service recalls victims of nightclub fire - Feb. 25, 2003", "Families visit scene of deadly nightclub fire - Feb. 24, 2003", "Concert for nightclub fire survivors nets $25K", "Governor McKee Statement on 20th Anniversary of Station Nightclub Fire | Governor's Office, State of Rhode Island", "Station Nightclub Fire Memorial On Track For 2016 Opening", "Timeline: Station Nightclub Fire, 15 year anniversary", "Station nightclub site will no longer be Pokemon Go destination", "Owner of burned RI club donates land for memorial", "Job Lot customers respond to Station Fire Memorial drive", "Memorial park dedicated to victims of Station Nightclub Fire", "Great White: Performing again is the right thing", "Providence nightclub fire charity rebuffs Great White singer", "After the fire: Great White, survivors live with the horror of Rhode Island tragedy", "Rhode Island Club Fire Tragedy Revisited with Members of Rock Band Great White", "Now There's Two Versions Of Great White | Metal Insider", "After The Fire: Feelings mixed and emotions high as Jack Russell's Great White return to New England", "Great White And Jack Russell Reach Agreement Over Use Of Band Name", "Great White singer's fire memorial concert nixed", "Mohegan Sun postpones Great White concert booked close to Station fire anniversary", "Documentary on youngest Station victim to be aired", "Films by RIC Alum Are Among Station Nightclub Fire Tributes", National Fire Protection Association web page "Nightclubs/assembly occupancies", Guide to the Station Nightclub Victims' Collection from the Rhode Island State Archives, Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Station_nightclub_fire&oldid=1142630889, Building and structure fires in the United States, February 2003 events in the United States, Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2013, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. [44] The NIST report was released on March 3, 2005 and was made available in two parts on June 30, 2005. Jody King: Nine different families have come up to me and said "thank you for having a great brother. The Guest List is based in part on John Barylick's narrative non-fiction work, killer show, the station nightclub fire, America's deadliest rock concert. Honored to have been able to attend such an in depth and eye opening training opportunity. One near the bar. For people to know you can go there now and look at this beautiful park and talk to your person thats what I love about it.. Scott James: They are what they call 15x15. [40][37] Derderian resigned from WPRI on June 30. I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anybody else to. More than 460 fans had crowded into the wooden, single-story, 4,480 -square-foot nightclub known as The Station in West Warwick, R.I., to enjoy a Thursday night show on Feb. 20, 2003. "Taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way," she says. The first time I went to counseling, I made the therapist cry, Del Sesto said. These are videos of prior performances taken inside the club. The roof was caving in, walls were caving in, body after body in front of me. Why had the fire spread so quickly? [39], At the scene of the fire, Butler gave this account of the tragedy:[41]. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. But she refuses to live in the past. I don't care what I'm going to see.". But then the door would go back up when it was going to be a loud night. It seems like yesterday We were going to get married in June and she passed away in February, Cain told CBS. Jody King says his brother enjoyed working for the Derderians. The fire began as rock band Great White played to the crowd. Patrick Lynch: You're telling me it wasn't, and I don't know that it wasn't. According to Lynch, under Rhode Island law, the fire marshal could not be criminally charged unless there was evidence of bad faith or malice. He was the. It just so happens that we're evacuated due to the CZU complex fire but hey that's how. he was very kind about it, but he said, "I don't ever see you competitively swimming again." I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death. He arrived early around 8:30 p.m. Phil Barr: There really weren't that many people around early in the night. Jim Axelrod: Did the contract specify the use of pyrotechnics? [5] Local bands that had played at the Station prior to the fire had used pyrotechnics during their concerts without incident, including a Kiss tribute band that had set off fireballs during their show in August 2002. It is now mandatory for nightclubs with occupancy over 150 to have them. Susan Nicol. if I had nothing to hide, then why wouldn't you why wouldn't you talk to them and tell them what you knew or what you didn't know? Phil Barr: You know just have a beer, see a concert. WEST WARWICK, R.I. The owners of The Station nightclub say their decision to finally speak publicly about the deadly fire there nearly . As numerous violations of existing codes contributed to the severity of the fire, there was immediate effort to strengthen fire code protections. That happened in 2001. It made me realize, I might be only one person, but my story and my injuries were making people listen, she said. Phil Barr: I remember the smoke descended really quickly. She said she went into the club that night a naive, fun-loving 27-year-old and came out angry and feeling guilty. [11] For the 2003 tour, the band was billed as "Jack Russell's Great White". But I should have at least tried.. Phil Barr fought to breathe on his own. After the fire, multiple civil and criminal cases were filed. [90] Russell planned to donate the proceeds to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, but the organization asked to be disassociated from the concert, citing the animosity still felt by many of the survivors and surviving families. And it was ugly. [49][50], Lynch told 48 Hours that his investigation found that the fire spread quickly due to the foam the Derderians had installed in the Station's walls and ceilings as a response to noise complaints. The Station nightclub owners Michael, left, and Jeffrey Derderian, right, pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. So that was huge.. Todd King, a founder of The Station Family Fund, said today the fund . They said a critical piece of evidence was never presented to the grand jury. That day let her put a period on the last sentence of Chapter Two, she said. Michael Derderian: Jeffrey was responsible for all the marketing activities. [9] In 2005, the Rhode Island Attorney General office received a fax from Barry Warner, a former employee of American Foam who lived nearby the Station, who claimed the company had known about the dangers of polyurethane foam but did not warn their employees about it. "There really weren't that many people around early in the night. [92], Russell left Great White in 2010. In an exclusive interview with "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod, the Derderians said they wanted to set the record straight and reveal new information about that foam and accountability. He wrote: "This is a company that is well aware of the dangers of polyurethane foam. Patrick Lynch: Did he do his job perfectly? There was no one coming out the back door anymore. : In 2021, 48 Hours described the total civil payments to the victims and families as $176 million. As were going down the stairs to get into the comedy club, in the heart of Times Square, the first thought that goes through my mind: I come back and look and go: Are there two exits down there? she said. Vanner doesnt know when the night will be over. [30] Longley reportedly died after returning to the building to retrieve his guitar. Michael spent 33 months in prison, while Jeff had to do 500 hours of community service. [9] American Foam refuted the claims in Warner's fax. Legal action against several parties, including Great White, were resolved with monetary settlements by 2008. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) investigation of the fire under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team Act, using computer simulations with FDS and a mockup of the stage area and dance floor, concluded that a fire sprinkler system would have contained the fire long enough to give everyone time to exit safely. But that night, leading the cameraman around was bouncer Tracy King, a dedicated husband and father of three young boys. According to author Scott James, Great White had reportedly used a large pyro display without permission at other clubs, including just days before the fire at a show in New Jersey. That's what the code says. It had to end, for me and it ended in the most beautiful way.. Eighteen years later, there was no consensus among survivors when it comes to blame. I could have missed my daughter's high school graduation, the birth of her children. Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. She sees telling the story of the Station fire as a way of preventing others from going through the same thing. It was crowded, and it was getting bad. DANIEL BIECHELE [at sentencing hearing in tears]: I don't know that I will ever forgive myself for what happened that night. So, before I knew it, this finger was contractured down in this position and the rest of them were all bent backwards because the skin had tightened up.". These days, she uses her job as a teacher at John F. Deering Middle School to make it so those who didnt suffer so directly will remember it too. then as it heals, the scarring tightens up. It was liquid fire," says former Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who investigated the disaster. This is solid gasoline. Patrick Lynch: First of all, I think it's pathetic, disgusting and unsettling to think that they're even speaking now The foam that they put up had a direct impact on the survivability of the bulk of the people that were assembled that night. Within six minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames. For years, he worked in Boston for Channel 7. The Derderians learned about a piece of evidence they say is important that was never presented to the grand jury: an eight-page fax sent to the Attorney General's Office anonymously just months after the fire entitled "The Fire. Scott James: You have four exits. ", "Fire in a nightclub: the band; group persevered by making circuit of smaller clubs", "How tragedy inspired one member of Great White", "Rhode Island Remembers Victims Of Deadly GREAT WHITE Concert Fire", "Club, band dispute permission to use fireworks - Feb. 22, 2003", "Memories sear survivor of fire that killed 100 in 2003", "Parents mourn loss of only child in nightclub fire, but cherish time they had after first near-death experience", "Radio station to remain in fire lawsuits", "Clear Channel agrees to pay $22 million to nightclub fire victims", "Portraits of people who died in the R.I. nightclub fire", "Timeline: What happened the night of the Station nightclub fire? Do you understand that anger? Share. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. Jody King: As I went by the fire station fire trucks are coming out Now the question in my head is why are all these firetrucks leaving? The Station was owned by brothers Jeff and Michael Derderian. Linda Saran and her friend Deb were in the atrium, huddled together under a table. In December 2003, nine months after the fire, Jeff and Michael Derderian were in court, each charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter 100 for criminal negligence, and 100 for misdemeanor manslaughter. Access remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20. [48] The capacity for the Station was either 258 or 404, depending on how the building was being used. In February 2008, Providence television station. It just so happens that we're . Jody King: I see the horror. [9], The fire was reported to the West Warwick Fire Department by cellular phone calls to 911 within sixty seconds of ignition[24]. However, on September 21, 2006, Judge Darigan announced that the brothers had changed their pleas from "not guilty" to "no contest," thereby avoiding a trial. To satisfy noise complaints from neighbors, the brothers had installed foam along the club's walls and ceilings. An off-duty police officer standing outside had heard her kicking at the window. Gina Russo, who was in The Station on Feb. 20, 2003, barely made it out. He had failed to get a license for the pyrotechnics from the State of Rhode Island and permits from the local fire department. [29] The initial death toll was 96 people; Four more individuals died in the hospital in the weeks following, bringing the toll to 100. 2021, shooting at a San Jose rail station. I never thought it would get so bad., He told bartender Julie Mellini that they had to leave, and she and several patrons followed Vanner out the kitchen door. It was completely preventable. [43][45], An investigation of the fire by a Rhode Island state grand jury was started by then-Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch on February 26, 2003. [76] The Rhode Island state fire code was changed after the fire to require every nightclub in the state with a capacity of over 150 people to have a sprinkler system installed.[3]. On Feb. 20, 2003, 100 people were killed and more than 200 others were injured in a fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick. there are other people who should be responsible. As we hold those impacted by this tragedy close in our hearts, we also remember the remarkable and courageous actions of first responders, public safety officials, medical professionals, and Rhode Islanders who sprang into action to save lives on that day and who worked to comfort their communities in the days and weeks following.. A surgery to correct a childhood ailment with his ears left him able to balance objects on his chin. Jim Axelrod: Did you have enough time to form those complete thoughts? [2] The three were each charged with 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter with criminal negligence and 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in violation of a misdemeanor. February 20 is the 19th anniversary of the tragic fire that killed 100 and injured another 230 people at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. It was liquid fire. Michael Derderian: I don't know about that. Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. Doreen Schechter and Gary Winter are the editors. I couldn't hear noise. [80], A permanent memorial at the site of the fire has been erected and named the Station Fire Memorial Park. My parents taught us a lot, a lot of things. The Derderians say that in the three years they owned the club, no one ever questioned the safety of the foam. The night of the fire, hundreds of people gathered at The Station to see Great White, an 80s band now with some new members lead by singer Jack Russell and known mainly for their hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy. [100], Gonsalves was inducted into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame in 2013. At 55, he lives with his parents and keeps to himself. So many ways this could have been avoided, Matthew Hoffman, an East Greenwich, R.I. resident, told WPRI. This is a massive part of my life. And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. What kind of club was this? At the time of The Station fire, older clubs in Rhode Island weren't required to install sprinklers. Patrick Lynch: I can't remember, honestly. Barr says when he came to, he felt excruciating pain near the base of his spine and burning on his face. "[23] Within 40 seconds of the ignition, Great White had stopped playing and left the stage and the venue's fire alarm began to sound, but it was not connected to local fire department. Michael Derderian: They got this fax and it went on to describe the business practices of the foam company. But I made a choice. The brother's plea deal stated only one of them would go to prison. These TIAs were subsequently incorporated into the 2006 edition of NFPA 101, along with additional exit requirements for new nightclub occupancies. She got out. Inspection records showed that just three months before the fire, the Derderians had been cited by the local fire marshal for having a secondary, interior door by the stage that opened inward, which violated regulations. Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. Shed read Russos book, about how the fire left her a bald chick, and it convinced her to go back out into the world.
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