The night of the fire, hundreds of people gathered at The Station to see the band Great White. She sees telling the story of the Station fire as a way of preventing others from going through the same thing. 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. 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. He was out there, and he just loved being in the center. there was nothing that would make it so you couldn't get out of it. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [2], In the months prior to the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque. Published on August 10, 2017 09:05 AM. Jody King: He trusted the club. Because so many people that were there don't have that opportunity. When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices that produce a controlled spray of sparks. and I just kind of went down on my face. Gina Russo, a survivor of The Station nightclub fire. Nightclub Fire", "Judge Accepts Plea Deal in Rhode Island Fire", "Co-owner of R.I. club where 100 died to be released early", "Band to pay $1M in case over deadly club fire", "Great White offers $1M to settle fatal fire suits", "Derderians reach settlement in nightclub fire", "Governments offer $20 million in RI nightclub fire", "Packaging company settles in R.I. nightclub fire", "McLaughlin & Moran, Anheuser-Busch offer $21M settlement in Station fire case", "Home Depot Settles In R.I. Cassidy was questioned by Customs and Border Protection in 2016, three sources familiar with the probe . Scott James: When people arrive, they walk through this entrance and this kinda longish hallway. The club was not equipped with sprinklers, according to the NIST, and crowding at the buildings main entrance made it difficult for people to escape. Patrick Lynch: I can't remember, honestly. Linda Saran: It's like a riptide. Scott James: It smelled like spilled beer and stale cigarettes and everything was just a little bit frayed at the edge. Linda Saran: They have said they were sorry. That effort raised about $10,000 over seven years to help pay for the construction of the memorial park. The brothers have always maintained that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics. "[58], Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. And then the main exit that hallway where everyone came through. 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. [98], 41, a documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the fire, was screened at Rhode Island theaters in 2008. You were not approaching that area at all. You take one square inch of the foam, you hold it up with a roach clip and light it on fire with a wooden match. There was no one coming out the back door anymore. Today, we mourn the 100 lives lost in the Station nightclub fire and the hundreds more whose lives will never be the same. I try to say it in the lightest way possible, she said. It couldnt continue another 10, 15 years, it couldnt. [22] Biechele used four gerbs that were set to spray sparks 15 feet (4.6m) for fifteen seconds. The Station nightclub in West Warwick burned down on Feb. 20, 2003, during a concert by rock band Great White, leaving 100 people dead and more than 200 injured. Scott James: It should not have happened. Almost immediately the finger pointing started. [60] As of 2013[update], Biechele lived in Florida with his wife and two children. Since the fire, I have wanted to tell the victims and their families how truly sorry I am for what happened that night and the part that I had in it. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch opened an investigation and convened a grand jury to determine if anyone should face criminal charges. then as it heals, the scarring tightens up. But what they received was highly flammable packing foam. About a month after the fire Barr went home from the hospital. [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. Joe Kinan was badly burned in the deadly Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island that left 100 dead and 230 injured in February 2003 . [83], In June 2003, the Station Fire Memorial Foundation (SFMF) was formed with the purpose of purchasing the property, to build and maintain a memorial. [17][16], The concert was emceed by Michael Gonsalves, a disk jockey for Providence rock radio station WHJY who was also known as "Doctor Metal". He got a tire iron from his car, smashed the glass, and started pulling people out. I couldn't hear noise. [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 all say I never would have stopped it, and I probably wouldnt have. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. Vanner spoke about how his life derailed after 11:07 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2003. 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. 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? And they're quick to point out the club was inspected by their insurance company, and multiple times by the local Fire Marshal Denis Laroque. [24] Hundreds of firefighters responded to the fire, including every available West Warwick firefighter. I went around back. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, who was behind her, pushing her toward the door, perished. Patrick Lynch: I don't think anybody in anything that they did wanted anybody to die that night or get injured. The Station Nightclub Fire: A Horrific First-Person View of the Updated on: October 24, 2021 / 2:07 AM Jim Axelrod: If you have a message that you want the people of Rhode Island to hear, there were plenty of ways to get it out long before now. [61] Michael Derderian received fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probationthe same sentence as Biechele. And Paul Vanner didnt like what he saw. Hundreds of people ran to the only exit many of them knew the way they came in. Jeffrey Derderian received 500 hours of community service. Obviously the nightclub was not in compliance, and there never should have been pyrotechnics, but there's no evidence the bouncers blocked people from . The pyrotechnics ignited the walls on either side of the stage and within seconds flames spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling of the club intended to dampen sound. And then we've got the pressure from the judge saying you know, you're going to go to jail for 30 years apiece. Tracy King died saving many others the night of the fire. Nightclub Fire", "3 indicted in R.I. rock concert fire - UPI Archives", "The Derderians are on a 'white-wash tour' about The Station fire, says father who lost son", "The strange and terrible true story of Great White, and the Station nightclub fire", "3 Men Are Indicted in Fire At Rhode Island Nightclub", "Foam company offers Station nightclub fire plaintiffs $6.3M settlement", "DAN BIECHELE SPEAKS Pre-Sentencing Statement GREAT WHITE TOUR MANAGER Station Nightclub Fire RI", "Fury, Tears and 4-Year Term in Deadly Blaze", "Band manager who ignited deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire freed from prison", "Manager Sentenced for Rhode Island Nightclub Fire", "Many families of Station fire victims supporting parole for band manager", "Band manager who ignited R.I. club fire is freed", "After prison, Biechele rebuilding life in Fla", "Derderians will plead; AG says he opposes sentencing deal", "2 Brothers to Plead No Contest in R.I. They are speaking out about the fire for the first time. It started as part of the fundraising basketball games she organized at the school. "48 Hours" has confirmed the fax wasnotpresented to the grand jury. 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. Linda will forever wear the scars of that horrible night. About 40 seconds after the song began, Great White stopped the show and all but one member of the band escaped through the stage door exit. [12] Russell's relation with some survivors and families has been strained, although he remains close to Longley's family. In fact, they did the opposite.". It was liquid fire. [4] No occupants were in the building during the 1972 fire, but the interior was significantly damaged. Linda Saran: The foam was raining down and the flames are dripping from the ceiling. Seconds later, flames appeared on the back wall. Jim Axelrod: Did the contract specify the use of pyrotechnics? The Guest List: Documentary about The Station nightclub fire will 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. [2], Prior to being converted into a nightclub and concert venue, the Station building had been used as a restaurant and tavern. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. 2021, shooting at a San Jose rail station. 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. It did not. And I knew the window was to my left. 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. Witnesses of the nearly mile-wide tornado recount how they managed to survive. Its surreal. Well, I guess once we all started to turn toward the door, and we got bottle-necked into the front door, people just kept pushing, and eventually everyone popped out of the door, including myself. Things that bring back memories of that night we try to stay away from. Linda Saran and Phil Barr, badly injured, were transported to a local hospital. 0:57. Phil Barr: I went around the people trying to push to the front door. One near the bar. Phil Barr: You know just have a beer, see a concert. Jack Russell declined "48 Hours"' request for an interview. Jeff called his brother Michael who was in Florida. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. And that song reminds us of that night. Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, the owners of the Station, pleaded no contest and avoided a trial: Michael received the same sentence as Biechele and was released from prison in 2009, while Jeffrey received a sentence of 500 hours of community service. Michael Derderian: It would have been horrific to have people go through this. So, it was not a great decision to use these inside a nightclub that only has 12-foot ceilings. Their story starts three years before the fire. [12] Kendall, who had co-founded the band with Russell in 1977, had rejoined Russell's version of the group in 2002. So, I said to Deb, "stay here. 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.. Lying on the floor not far from the horseshoe bar, Barr lost consciousness. Jeff Derderian, seated right, says, "You know a day doesn't go by that we don't think about it in some way, shape or form.". That happened in 2001. Jim Axelrod is the chief investigative correspondent and senior national correspondent for CBS News, reporting for "CBS This Morning," "CBS Evening News," "CBS Sunday Morning" and other CBS News broadcasts. The charge is pending. Investigators eventually discovered the fax was sent by Barry Warner, a former employee at American Foam the company that had sent the Derderians the packing foam made of flammable polyurethane. They said a critical piece of evidence was never presented to the grand jury. Jim Axelrod: If the brothers are relying on the fire marshal to tell them whether or not they can continue to do business. He is now seven years sober from cocaine, although alcohol is a more pestering problem, he says. The loss is still fresh for her cousins, she said, even 15 years later. Based upon its work, Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs) were issued for the national standard "Life Safety Code" (NFPA 101), in July 2003. Patrick Lynch: You're telling me it wasn't, and I don't know that it wasn't. I don't care what I'm going to see.". Twisted Sister's Dee Snider Honors 2003 Station Nightclub Fire Victims Like, "get away from the building." [36] Butler was there for a planned piece on nightclub safety being reported by Jeffrey A. Derderian, a WPRI news reporter who was also a part-owner of The Station. That's all I can keep seeing in my head. Taking her students to the memorial park and telling them what it means were ways of building that memory, she said. [13], In February 2003, Great White was on an eighteen date concert tour, and they had been using a pyrotechnic display during their performances that some club owners had denied them permission to use, citing safety concerns. Jim Axelrod: Does this mean you feel a sense of responsibility? It was criminal, he says. Like you feel that kinship that, you know, "God, I really hope this guy makes it." We have an exit through the kitchen. "Taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way," she says. it was also on fire. WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - Saturday marks the 18-year anniversary of the Station Nightclub fire that left lasting scars on numerous families and the state of Rhode Island. The second was the time from that night until the dedication of the memorial last spring. it became very, very hard to breathe. And why wasn't the foam company charged? 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. Vanner wonders whether he could have saved them. Marc Goldbaum is the development producer. But even more than walking, Phil wanted to return to swimming. 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. 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. Jim Axelrod: Describe The Station nightclub for me. 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. He had an unlikely friend rooting for him. But it's fun. 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. And 18 years after the fire, the brothers say they want to set the record straight and reveal new information. Jim Axelrod: Were you a fan of the band Great White? We couldn't make it. But, you know, they have this following to this day . A surgery to correct a childhood ailment with his ears left him able to balance objects on his chin. [51], Victims' families have also cited overcrowding in the venue as a cause for the causalities during the fire. It took about five years to come to terms with that, she said. WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- Five years . And I said my hands won't work. It's not just about hitting the next goal but doing something really meaningful. Michael Derderian: We say that they we're sorry for all of it. Purchase and sale had been signed. In the stampede, 21 people were killed. That's what the code says. WEST WARWICK, R.I. The Station nightclub fire, where 100 people died and hundreds more were hurt, will never be forgotten by those who were there or lost loved ones that February night.. Its irrelevant.. Absolutely not. Patrick Lynch: while troubling, concerning, maddening it doesn't mean that somebody should be charged or can be. "Literally laid there and said, 'God please just take care of my family,' because I knew I was going to die,'" survivor Linda Saran recalls. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. 'We've been trying to move forward': Station nightclub fire survivor on In 2017 a memorial was opened to honor the100 innocent lives that were tragically lost in The Station fire, including Tracy King, who died saving so many others. Also there that night was Bates College student Phil Barr, who was home for winter break. In the other rooms, the smoke hadn't gotten to them, the flame wasn't that bad, they didn't think anything of it. When January comes each year, she starts a lesson, delicately, talking about The Station and how there was a fire there. [104] The legislation would create a tax incentive for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems. She had a cellphone that was working and handed it off to anyone who needed to call home and let their family know they were safe. That day let her put a period on the last sentence of Chapter Two, she said. Honored to have been able to attend such an in depth and eye opening training opportunity. And it was ugly. Now in private practice, Lynch says he looked into a host of people. They promoted the event. For years, he worked in Boston for Channel 7. Regardless, Lynch points out the Derderians still chose to take a plea deal instead of going to trial. 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. But their plans for the future would suddenly change. Jody King: "Anybody see Tracy?" [7][8] They were best known for their 1989 cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The club was sold. Phil Barr [teary-eyed]: Getting another opportunity to live my life came with enormous responsibility. Inside The Inferno: The Station Nightclub Fire | Thought Catalog I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. 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. Shed read Russos book, about how the fire left her a bald chick, and it convinced her to go back out into the world. Vanner has no excuses. [38] Derderian had begun working for WPRI on February 17, three days before the fire. [40][37] Derderian resigned from WPRI on June 30. Jeff Derderian: They didn't even bring up the fax to him. This is a massive part of my life. Last year, he was charged with striking a woman for whom he was a caretaker. [9] Two gerbs were at 45-degree angles, with the middle two pointing straight up. The Derderians have always maintained that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics. And yet, at the point in time, I don't think I knew his name.