That was his gift. 2003 deadly fire at a rock concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA, Great White, Jack Russell, and Mark Kendall, National Institute of Standards and Technology, "The Station nightclub fire 10 years later: Healing continues as West Warwick, Rhode Island, takes next step in recovery", "The Station Fire: Timeline of a tragedy", "Station tragedy leads to tougher fire code", "Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire (NIST NCSTAR 2), Volume 1", "Beyond grief: Trying to make sense out of the Station tragedy", "Tragedy Catches Up to a Metal Band Past Its Prime", "Great White Fireworks Set Off a Controversy", "The Station nightclub fire: What happened and who's to blame for disaster that killed 100? Even if he couldnt. After the fire, multiple civil and criminal cases were filed. PATRICK LYNCH [press conference]: We have an investigation on going and we need help, we need answers and I'm trying to get them. 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. I'll be right back." Michael Derderian: No. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the site of the fire for a number of months. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. So, it was very quickly they were in the circle of people we should look at. When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. Flames can be seen on the back wall. [9], The fire was reported to the West Warwick Fire Department by cellular phone calls to 911 within sixty seconds of ignition[24]. The brothers sent a fax to the foam company specifically asking for sound foam. View Image Gallery. At the scene, Jody King was desperate for information about his brother, and began to fear the worst. Fifteen years from now, she hopes, her students will go by the park, and have a memory, a connection, with the 100 people whose names and faces are etched into black granite squares arrayed throughout the park. and I just kind of went down on my face. Jody King: He trusted the club. The State of Rhode Island and the town of West Warwick agreed to pay $10 million as settlement. I noticed when the pyro stopped, the flame had kept going on both sides. These are videos of prior performances taken inside the club. S01:E02 - Joplin Tornado. You see on your left the horseshoe-shaped bar. I couldn't hear noise. Jeff Derderian: There's so many things that factor into the decision to do that. But he didn't know what. 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]. I went around back. I have to find him. 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. She wrote a book, meets with burn victims, talks to fire departments and fire safety groups across the country. I come down every year and play the [bagpipes], he told WCVB. [30] Longley reportedly died after returning to the building to retrieve his guitar. The Feb. 20, 2003. One hundred people died, and hundreds more suffered. [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. For the first few years she shunned memorial ceremonies but eventually was convinced to go. [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. It was liquid fire," says former Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who investigated the disaster. Survivors and friends of survivors active in the effort to turn the nightclub site in West Warwick into a memorial park recount the emotional journeys that brought them from 2003 to 2018.. Michael Derderian: Correct. And that's when I noticed the black on my arms. The Station nightclub fire would become one of the deadliest fires in a club in U.S. history. How he went from being a man with a job he loved and friends, to someone struggling with sobriety and guilt, suffering flashbacks at fire alarms and smoke-like fog. Share. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. 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. A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch. The brothers decided that because Jeff had young kids, Michael would go. Jason Hahn. He owned his own construction company, and he was often in the backyard with his sons, improving the landscape or building two ponds that he filled with koi fish. So that was huge.. I refused to accept that as the outcome. Jeff Derderian: We feel a sense of guilt about what happened in the sense that you carry the guilt of knowing that these people aren't here anymore, and these people are hurt for the rest of their life. if he had done that, then he would have obviously have said to us . The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. [48] The grand jury also did not return charges against Russell. Tracy King died saving many others the night of the fire. She paused, her eyes tearing. Barr was now outside, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. As it turns out, the foam they used was highly flammable. [11] For the 2003 tour, the band was billed as "Jack Russell's Great White". [59], Biechele's parole and probation expired in March 2011. [29] The initial death toll was 96 people; Four more individuals died in the hospital in the weeks following, bringing the toll to 100. Phil Barr fought to breathe on his own. "Taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way," she says. there are other people who should be responsible. [9][10][8] At the time of their performance at the Station, Great White only had two of its original members in its lineup: Lead singer Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall. For the first February in 15 years, Lisa Del Sesto said, she hasnt had the nightmares. People recall the events of the fourth deadliest night club fire in U.S. history. Kat Teurfs is the associate producer. Gina Russo, who was in The Station on Feb. 20, 2003, barely made it out. Jim Axelrod: Mr. Warner's fax wasn't presented to the grand jury, correct? To the families of those who died on that devastating day: Rhode Island will never forget your loved ones and we will always stand by you, McKee said in the statement. An off-duty police officer standing outside had heard her kicking at the window. "[55] Biechele was released in March 2008. Scott James: When people arrive, they walk through this entrance and this kinda longish hallway. But Saturday night, as . Purchase and sale had been signed. Susan Nicol. 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. [58], On September 19, 2007, the Rhode Island Parole Board announced that Biechele would be released in March 2008. Firefighters responded within five minutes, and the building was fully engulfed within six minutes, according to a timeline assembled by WPRI. In fact, they did the opposite.". Its just one of those things thats ingrained in you.. It justit was so fast. [28] By 1:30 a.m. on February 21, all patients had been transported and the street had been cleared. There had to be that period for me. I couldn't play an instrument. Jeff Derderian: I remember we were trying to get people away from the building. [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. [2], In the months prior to the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque. According to Lynch, under Rhode Island law, the fire marshal could not be criminally charged unless there was evidence of bad faith or malice. Jody King: I'm so proud to say he's my brother. It was really everything to me at that time. Pyrotechnics ignited foam insulation that lined the walls and ceiling around the stage, the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded. But that night, leading the cameraman around was bouncer Tracy King, a dedicated husband and father of three young boys. Jeff Derderian: That door was meant to block the noise from the neighbors. They all came so every single one of those hundred students held up a white rose and they represented one of the 100 [who died]. Two decades after 100 people were killed in the West Warwick, R.I. fire, those affected by the incident are reflecting on that tragic night. In a statement, Rhode Island Gov. He apologized to the families of the victims and made no attempt to mitigate his guilt," the letter said. The Station nightclub fire occurred on the evening of February 20, 2003 at The Station, a nightclub and hard rock music venue in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230. And, according to the brothers, it was one of the first exits used when the fire started. [11] Dominic Santana, the owner of The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, told reporters that Great White had used pyrotechnics during their February 14, 2003 performance at the venue without his permission, and their contract and rider did not mention pyrotechnics displays. 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.". This is the main bar where you can get your drinks. *One SAVE card issued per household that experiences 25% or greater damage to a primary residence. We talk about fire safety a bit, I dont get too, too far into it.. I couldn't understand him or understand the magnitude of what was going on there. There was nothing heroic about what I did.. [2], The first criminal trial was against Great White's tour manager, Daniel Michael Biechele, 26, from Orlando, Florida. One near the bar. 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. [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. The trunk bears the names of the fire victims. [103], Inspired by the fire, the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act has been proposed United States Senate and House of Representatives since 2003. [89] Kendall said in 2005, "We haven't played that song. As we mark 20 years since that night, here are those who. Also there that night was Bates College student Phil Barr, who was home for winter break. A staggering 100 lives were lost. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), R.I. State House homeless encampment removed after legal fight, After the 80th anniversary of the tragic fire, a Cocoanut Grove memorial is coming to Boston, This affordable airline says it will bring at least 20 routes to an R.I. airport. But she refuses to live in the past. That's when I turned back. [18][19] Gonsalves was the host of the WHJY program The Metal Zone, at the time the longest-running heavy metal radio program in the United States. "[63] He added that the difference in the brothers' sentences reflected their respective involvement with the purchase and installation of the flammable foam. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter, and Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest. Jim Axelrod: I want to ask you about Phil Barr. It seems like yesterday We were going to get married in June and she passed away in February, Cain told CBS. "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. I couldn't get up. Jody King: He was gregarious. Michael Derderian: Zero. Todd King, a founder of The Station Family Fund, said today the fund . So, I actually got a really good sense of the layout of the venue. He was out there, and he just loved being in the center. Jim Axelrod: If the brothers are relying on the fire marshal to tell them whether or not they can continue to do business. Shed read Russos book, about how the fire left her a bald chick, and it convinced her to go back out into the world. 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. Parole board chairwoman Lisa Holley told journalists of her surprise at the forgiving attitude of the families, saying, "I think the most overwhelming part of it for me was the depth of forgiveness of many of these families that have sustained such a loss. So, to the people who think we don't own it I'm telling you, we DO own it ok? She took a photograph of the stone of a man who died and sent it to his daughter in California. I would see the burn survivors, whom Im lucky enough to call friends, Del Sesto said. "[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. It was the fourth deadliest fire in a nightclub in US history. Gina Russo of Cranston, R.I. is a survivor of the Station nightclub fire and president of The Station Fire Memorial Foundation. On February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in United States history occurred in The Station nightclub. Stay up to date with everything Boston. How is it our responsibility if they gave us the wrong foam?". And if we could change it, we would. The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices that produce a controlled spray of sparks. I had no control over my muscles. Jim Axelrod: The fire spread so quickly because rather than fire-retardant sound foam, on the wall of the club was highly flammable packing foam. The Derderians have always maintained that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics. 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.

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