Today, we mourn the 100 lives lost in the Station nightclub fire and the hundreds more whose lives will never be the same. The Station was a nightclub that was located on the corner of Cowesett Avenue and Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island. As we mark 20 years since that night, here are those who. I went around back. fine against Station Nightclub owners upheld", "Station nightclub fire survivor tells how she's moved on in new book", "The Station fire took emotional toll on survivors, study finds", "Tentative $30 million deal in R. I. nightclub fire", "TV station that assigned reporter to cover his own nightclub raises ethical issue", "Station Video Spurs Lawsuit - Pollstar News", "Nightclub owner resigns from WPRI television", "Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire: Appendices (NIST NCSTAR 2), Volume 2", "Grand Jury Convened to Probe Deadly R.I. [2] The club was cited for nine minor code violations during the first inspection in November 2002, but was not cited for the flammable polyurethane foam the venue used for soundproofing, which was against code. Jody King: We never knew the whole story because the trial never happened, so everything really never came out. Three days after the station fire, Jody King finally got the news that his brother Tracy's body had been found. He said if there's. Patrick Lynch: I can't remember, honestly. [93] After a 2013 legal settlement between the two parties, Kendall's band retained the Great White name, while Russell's band was allowed to use the name Jack Russell's Great White. Michael owned a financial services business; Jeff was a local news reporter. I could have missed that My friends that didn't survive that night have missed that. Absolutely not. She said she went into the club that night a naive, fun-loving 27-year-old and came out angry and feeling guilty. Stay up to date with everything Boston. Dan Biechele, center, at his sentencing. CBS Boston Rhode Island Gov. that door being up, there is no question that that increased the likelihood that many, many more would perish. Jim Axelrod: Mr. Warner's fax wasn't presented to the grand jury, correct? Why had the fire spread so quickly? 9. Linda Saran: I said, "you know what? Phil Barr: I couldn't hear alarms. Stephen Sweet, a Quincy firefighter who lost his cousin Shawn Sweet in the fire, came to play the bagpipes at a memorial ceremony Monday, WCVB reported. For the Derderians, the "full story" begins with the issue of permission. And I knew the window was to my left. Foam the Derderians had installed along the club's walls and ceilings to conceal noise was highly flammable and "was equal to gallons of gasoline. The Station Nightclub Fire Tragedy Memorial Site - Legacy.com It looked like it was raining black fire. 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Two years after the fire at The Station nightclub, 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. [28] By 1:30 a.m. on February 21, all patients had been transported and the street had been cleared. It was liquid fire," says former Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who investigated the disaster. [2] The final tally by The Providence Journal of people inside the Station during the fire totaled 462. Dan McKee stopped by the memorial on the 20th anniversary of the fire Monday. [4] The nightclub was purchased by brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian in March 2000. my dad was in the room. For years, he worked in Boston for Channel 7. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. You should be proud." [96] By 2013, Russell's group had resumed playing "Desert Moon". But instead, I chose to run like a common coward.. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. And people stood and watched it, and some people backed off. Lying on the floor not far from the horseshoe bar, Barr lost consciousness. After 15 years of it being a dominant part of her everyday life, she said she is ready for it to be a part of her past. Survivor of The Station nightclub fire reflects on 20th anniversary "Taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way," she says. The blaze began when the band Jack Russell's Great White took the stage and their tour manager set off four large fireworks. Greatly., Things that bother people you sit there and you shake your head and you go, if this is the worst thing that happens to me today, this month, this year, this decade, I mean, at that point its one of those things. "48 Hours" is not showing any of that footage. Michael Derderian: Correct. Phil Barr: I don't like to talk about it, but I remember feeling weight on top of me, and I'm pretty sure I crawled out from under another person to pull myself up. Jim Axelrod: Did the contract specify the use of pyrotechnics? The Foam.". He wrote: "This is a company that is well aware of the dangers of polyurethane foam. Dont take life for granted and I miss her every day She was my world and now shes my angel.. It was really everything to me at that time. A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch. In 2003, 100 people died and over 200 were injured at a rock concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island. some bleeding I could notice in my throat. Cold air washing over me. Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, which killed 100 people. Patrick Lynch: The defendant had every right to go to trial and say, hey, if it's this mysterious fax that it's trying to be referenced today, 18 years later, hey, this is important. That night is not a coherent memory for her, she said, but a sequence of moments when she was hyper-focused on finding her friends or helping those around her. These TIAs were subsequently incorporated into the 2006 edition of NFPA 101, along with additional exit requirements for new nightclub occupancies. Linda Saran: Second- and-third-degree burns, over 34 percent of my body from the heat. So, the only way to pick up a can of soda would be to do this [lifting both arms out parallel in front of her]. [48] Some victims' families criticized the 48 Hours segment and the Derderians' involvement. That's all I can keep seeing in my head. And why wasn't the foam company charged? [11] For the 2003 tour, the band was billed as "Jack Russell's Great White". Scott James: You have four exits. In fact, they did the opposite.". I had the fire extinguisher in my hand, Vanner said. Station fire, 15 years later: Survivors tell their stories Linda Saran: My hospital roommate, he and I took turns driving the respiratory therapist crazy in some ways it's almost like being in war together. Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. 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.". There isn't a guilt in terms of like, that we knowingly did this or or caused it but there's a guilt that we it happened on our watch, happened on our watch. 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. [9], The foam was sold to the Derderians by American Foam. Linda Saran: The foam was raining down and the flames are dripping from the ceiling. That exit door would soon be engulfed in flames. DANIEL BIECHELE [at sentencing hearing in tears]: I don't know that I will ever forgive myself for what happened that night. When January comes each year, she starts a lesson, delicately, talking about The Station and how there was a fire there. Now, Russo leads the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, which oversees a memorial that stands where the nightclub once went up in flames, The Boston Globe reported. [tearing up] "What a great brother you have. I try to say it in the lightest way possible, she said. It justit was so fast. [78] The event raised at least $25,000 in donations for the Station Family Fund, and was broadcast in March by VH1 and VH1 Classic. This is solid gasoline. [33] One survivor claimed that a bouncer blocked a side door as attendees attempted to escape the building, stating the door was only to be used by the band. 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. It was already in contract. Saran was one of the more than 200 who were seriously hurt in the fire. [12] Great White's popularity had waned in the decade prior to the Station fire, and they had been performing on a touring circuit of small clubs with capacities of up to 500 people. 48 Hours show makes no mention of Station nightclub's overcrowding We're running out of time." Phil Barr: We kind of crouched down behind some of the people in front of us. And I said my hands won't work. [2], In the months prior to the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque. / CBS News. It would have been my legacy, Vanner said. The February 25 concert at the Dunkin' Donuts Center was broadcast Sunday night on VH1 and VH1 Classic. 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. That is the furthest exit away from the stage But it's a relatively straight line. And I remember that statement, because I was, like, this is not great. I've been after this bike for over 4 years and I finally got the call! I'm going to do this. And 18 years after the fire, the brothers say they want to set the record straight and reveal new information. You bury nine people in a period of less than two weeks, she said, and yeah, I think it affects you. [28], Of the 462 people in the building for the concert, 100 were killed, 230 were injured, and 132 escaped uninjured. [48], Following the tragedy, Governor Donald Carcieri declared a moratorium on pyrotechnic displays at venues that hold fewer than 300 people. Tracy King died saving many others the night of the fire. Jason Hahn. It didn't have a lock on it. 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. Patrick Lynch: Not only was the door up, which it shouldn't have been, opened inward which it shouldn't have It was covered in foam. 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. Remembering the 100 victims of the Station Nightclub fire 18 years The Station nightclub fire: What happened, how many died, who was He trusted the owners. But their plans for the future would suddenly change. Survivor of Rhode Island Station Nightclub Fire Rebuilds His Life 14 JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: Rock and Roll is supposed to be fun, not deadly you know. Jody King: Nine different families have come up to me and said "thank you for having a great brother. Its just one of those things thats ingrained in you.. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. I could have missed my daughter's high school graduation, the birth of her children. She spoke with the Globe about Jefferey and Michael Derderian, the . Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. An off-duty police officer standing outside had heard her kicking at the window. In the end, the survivors and victims' families settled for a total of $176 million. [21], Among those who died in the fire were Great White guitarist Ty Longley, and the show's emcee, WHJY DJ Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves. Phil Barr: You know just have a beer, see a concert. Christina Pimentel wasnt at the Station 15 years ago but she remembers the fire that killed 100 people because one of them was her uncle, Carlos Pimentel Sr. Jody King: He went on David Letterman twice to do Stupid Human Tricks. I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. [89] Kendall said in 2005, "We haven't played that song. I couldn't play an instrument. Multiple injured after shooting at San Jose nightclub | KRON4 They would want to talk, she said, and they wouldnt freak. ", "We are now at 65, and that may be higher ", Jeff Derderian: "Can you come in? The Station Fire: 100 victims in photos The Station Fire: 100 victims in photos 98 PHOTOS More Stories Has fire prevention in RI improved since The Station fire? For the first few years she shunned memorial ceremonies but eventually was convinced to go. He was worried about his brother Tracy who worked there as a bouncer. [63] Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch objected strenuously to the plea bargain, saying that both brothers should have received jail time and that Michael Derderian should have received more time than Biechele. [9] Although Warner was called to testify to a grand jury, he was not asked about the fax. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. According to Lynch, under Rhode Island law, the fire marshal could not be criminally charged unless there was evidence of bad faith or malice. Father of youngest Station nightclub fire victim questions why owners Jack Russell declined "48 Hours"' request for an interview. *One SAVE card issued per household that experiences 25% or greater damage to a primary residence. And Paul Vanner didnt like what he saw. Barr was located between the stage and the front door. Regardless, Lynch points out the Derderians still chose to take a plea deal instead of going to trial. It was crowded, and it was getting bad. Jody King: I see the horror. I'll be right back." Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. People say they just feel peaceful, Russo told the Globe. MICHAEL DERDERIAN: I plead not guilty, your honor. Witnesses of the nearly mile-wide tornado recount how they managed to survive. "[58], Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. Jeff Derderian: There's so many things that factor into the decision to do that. "It's hard to describe the level of agony. I was asked to work the merch table for the band, so I was getting 40 bucks and two T-shirts. [22] Biechele used four gerbs that were set to spray sparks 15 feet (4.6m) for fifteen seconds. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As Great White started their first song, their tour manager Daniel Biechele set off four large fireworks called gerbs. Jody King: When he walked into a room, if there wasn't a smile he'd start balancing stuff to get you uplifted and smiling. I couldn't hear noise.
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