[27] A portion of the nightclub roof collapsed at 11:57 p.m., and a second portion in the building's sunroom collapsed at 12:07 a.m..[24] Patients were transported to Kent Hospital, which was filled to maximum capacity due to the fire. Phil Barr: A lot of people moved back towards the main entrance it became really clear that we were not going to be able [to] get out the front door. 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. But 15 years later, she said, its time for her to move out of its shadow. 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. Even if he couldnt. Those who were trapped inside The Station when the flames started knew they needed to get out fast. Jim Axelrod: The brothers say," wait a minute, we ordered sound foam. To the right is this much larger space in front of a stage. I look at my scars every day. In February 2008, Providence television station. Michael Derderian: And I'm saying to him "Did everybody get out Did anyone die?" It was late on Feb. 20, 2003, when the cold winter night erupted in flames. Unlike many of the patrons there, this was Barr's first time at the club. 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. This article was originally published on Oct. 22, 2021. That specific. [24] Hundreds of firefighters responded to the fire, including every available West Warwick firefighter. Scott James: He writes up this long, almost a manifesto about all the things that he thinks are wrong in that foam company that led to this tragedy. Witnesses of the nearly mile-wide tornado recount how they managed to survive. Linda Saran: Second- and-third-degree burns, over 34 percent of my body from the heat. And yet, at the point in time, I don't think I knew his name. He trusted in his friends. [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. It took about five years to come to terms with that, she said. 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. View All 100 Memorials for the The Station Nightclub Fire Site. it was also on fire. It was completely preventable. And I took a good look and I said, "Oh, st, I'm burned.". Phil Barr awoke after three weeks in a medically induced coma and was told his lungs had been badly damaged. We talk about fire safety a bit, I dont get too, too far into it.. A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch. REELZ today announced the network's original documentary America's Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List premieres February 20th at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT presenting the deeply personal stories of lives forever altered by the tragic Station nightclub fire that left 100 people dead, more than 200 injured and devastated the tight-knit community of West Warwick, Rhode Island. Michael Derderian also spoke via phone to an investigator. undisputable. Jeff called his brother Michael who was in Florida. [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 Derderians say despite their love for the club the business had peaked, and they were in the process of selling it. They all later accepted plea deals. Nothing lifts his despair. Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. [98], 41, a documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the fire, was screened at Rhode Island theaters in 2008. The Station Nightclub Fire: Who's Responsible? Remembering the 100 victims of the Station Nightclub fire 18 years S01:E03 - Station Nightclub Fire. [2] The follow-up inspection in December 2002 also did not cite the foam, and the inspector gave the building an "All OK" rating on his inspection form. these contracts are pretty specific. Jody King: He was gregarious. Jim Axelrod: To people who feel that the two of you have never said we own this what do you say? Since he co-owned The Station nightclub with his brother Michael Derderian, Jeff suggested it as a venue for generic nightclub footage. These are videos of prior performances taken inside the club. [24] The first West Warwick fire engine arrived at the scene at 11:13 p.m., followed by three other trucks shortly thereafter. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, did not. And while they weren't charged in the criminal case, survivors and victims' families sued them in civil court for not warning the Derderians the foam they sent them was flammable. Its irrelevant.. So, it was very quickly they were in the circle of people we should look at. But she said she also wants to keep the people she has met from that night, who she sees as friends and not sharers of a horrible experience. At the time of the fire, he had just started a new job closer to home in Providence at the local CBS station. He said if there's. The night of the fire, hundreds of people gathered at The Station to see the band Great White. The second was the time from that night until the dedication of the memorial last spring. I can't speak Everything was, you know, sore and hoarse I picked up the pen in very weak, you know, kind of handwriting I wrote, "I hope to make progress every day.". [9] Two gerbs were at 45-degree angles, with the middle two pointing straight up. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison. I could have missed that My friends that didn't survive that night have missed that. 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 found my soul was wanting.. [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. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who is featured in a REELZ documentary about the Warwick, Rhode Island Station nightclub fire, which killed some 100 attendees of a Great White concert in 2003, [58], On September 19, 2007, the Rhode Island Parole Board announced that Biechele would be released in March 2008. The Station Nightclub Fire is Remembered in the Documentary - Yurview ", "We are now at 65, and that may be higher ", Jeff Derderian: "Can you come in? Fifteen years since that terrible night. She got out. "Barn Find" Harley Davidson Shovelhead Custom Survivor Found - YouTube Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. The fire was the fourth-deadliest at a nightclub in U.S. history, and the second-deadliest in New England, behind the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire, which resulted in 492 deaths. WEST WARWICK, R.I. The owners of The Station nightclub say their decision to finally speak publicly about the deadly fire there nearly . The State of Rhode Island and the town of West Warwick agreed to pay $10 million as settlement. [2], Prior to the fire, the Station often hosted concerts by 1980s hard rock groups and tribute bands. That's what the code says. Jody King says his brother enjoyed working for the Derderians. At first, there was no panic. I have to find him. [30] Longley reportedly died after returning to the building to retrieve his guitar. [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. Patrick Lynch: I can't remember, honestly. And the following year he was able to accomplish the impossible and rejoin his swim team. [94] Russell's group made its first New England appearance in twelve years at a harvest festival in Mechanic Falls, Maine, in August 2015. [104] It was last introduced in the House in 2015 by then-U.S. Reps. James Langevin of Rhode Island and Tom Reed of New York.[104]. MICHAEL DERDERIAN: I plead not guilty, your honor. She wrote a book, meets with burn victims, talks to fire departments and fire safety groups across the country. Patrick Lynch: I don't think there's any question that had that door not been up a significant number of people would have survived. [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. As we mark 20 years since that night, here are those who. When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. The company paid a hefty settlement and they weren't the only ones. [4] Another restaurant opened in the building in 1974. [22] During the performance, pyrotechnics set off by tour manager Daniel Biechele ignited the flammable acoustic foam on both sides and the top center of the drummer's alcove at the back of the stage. 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 roof was caving in, walls were caving in, body after body in front of me. Lying on the floor not far from the horseshoe bar, Barr lost consciousness. Her bill was $646 that month, she said. 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. And that's when I noticed the black on my arms. I went and laid down next to Deb and just waited to die. 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.. Michael Derderian: Correct. The fire quickly spread over the dance floor, along the ceiling. A surgery to correct a childhood ailment with his ears left him able to balance objects on his chin. [21] Twenty seconds after the pyrotechnics ended, the band stopped playing and lead singer Jack Russell calmly remarked into the microphone, "Wow that's not good. It is now mandatory for nightclubs with occupancy over 150 to have them. . It didn't have a lock on it. I said to myself, we gotta go. But even more than walking, Phil wanted to return to swimming. Phil Barr: I loved it. The loss is still fresh for her cousins, she said, even 15 years later. He turned back to see the crowd bottle-necked at the stage. The brothers sent a fax to the foam company specifically asking for sound foam. (WATCH) The Station Nightclub Fire is Remembered in the Documentary [2] Larocque later told the Rhode Island State Police that he had not spotted the polyurethane foam during the November 2002 inspection because he was upset after finding an illegal inward swinging door that he had previously asked to be removed from the building. Scott James: And the nightclub operator there was so angry when he saw what had happened in Rhode Island, he went public, and he even made public the contract that he had with Great White that showed there was no evidence of fireworks that were going to be part of the show. [49] The tour started five months after the fire, and each concert began with a prayer for survivors and families. 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. The message is, Dont forget. Never forget these people or forget what happened., Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. That exit door would soon be engulfed in flames. Pyrotechnics ignited foam insulation that lined the walls and ceiling around the stage, the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded. [34], Providence Phoenix columnist Ian Donnis wrote of the effect that the fire had on the close-knit Rhode Island community, "The loss of so much life would represent a tragedy anywhere, but it struck especially hard in Rhode Island, the nation's smallest state, where no place is more than an hour away by car and the fire claimed one tenth of one percent of the state's population. Their story starts three years before the fire. "Why me?" 20 years later, Station nightclub fire survivors talk guilt In the stampede, 21 people were killed. [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. And he says you can. He was the. [20], Great White started their performance at 11:07 p.m. on February 20. Phil Barr: It was getting harder and harder to breathe I could feel tightness and constriction in my chest. Vanner wonders whether he could have saved them. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. [2], In the months prior to the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque. The brother's plea deal stated only one of them would go to prison. I did not lead them out, he said dismissively. People say they just feel peaceful, Russo told the Globe. [58] Others pointed out that Biechele had sent handwritten letters to the families of each of the 100 victims and that he had a work release position in a local charity. Jody King: I see the horror. Purchase and sale had been signed. 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. "It feels like somebody knew somebody who was in that fire or knew somebody who did, so the pain is very personal.". [57], On September 4, 2007, some families of the fire's victims expressed their support for Biechele's parole. [60], Following Biechele's trial, The Station's owners, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, were scheduled to receive separate trials. But Saturday night, as . Biechele and Michael Derderian went to prison. That's when I turned back. That was the most important thing, they didnt freak.. Patrick Lynch: while troubling, concerning, maddening it doesn't mean that somebody should be charged or can be. The four exits inside The Station: "There's an exit near the stage an exit through the kitchen. ", "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? 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. Vanner doesnt know when the night will be over. He don't know. But, you know, they have this following to this day . 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? [3] A fire had previously occurred at the building in 1972 while it was used as a restaurant called Julio's. But it's fun. The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices that produce a controlled spray of sparks. Within weeks, the National Fire Protection Association committee met to regulate code for "assembly occupancies." [76] Another memorial was later that night the West Warwick Civic Center.
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