That night, he allowed a cameraman to shoot footage inside the club for an upcoming story about safety in public venues. [37] The report had been inspired by the E2 nightclub stampede in Chicago that killed 21 people three days earlier. 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. 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. But their plans for the future would suddenly change. 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. The Foam.". Vanner spoke about how his life derailed after 11:07 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2003. [30] Longley reportedly died after returning to the building to retrieve his guitar. That was the most important thing, they didnt freak.. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, who was behind her, pushing her toward the door, perished. 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. into the main barroom. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: Rock and Roll is supposed to be fun, not deadly you know. It seems senseless that something like this could happen. [21] The Station did not have a sprinkler system installed. But I dont want it to define the rest of my life. [95] When Russell launched his version of the band in 2012, Kendall's group responded that Russell had no right to use the name. It couldnt continue another 10, 15 years, it couldnt. It looked like it was raining black fire. Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. 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. 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 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. Jim Axelrod: Do you feel, "Oh my goodness, we're in trouble?". Barr, who was in his junior year, had dreams of a career on Wall Street and swam competitively for his college swim team. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch opened an investigation and convened a grand jury to determine if anyone should face criminal charges. Jim Axelrod: Were you a fan of the band Great White? Warner lived next to The Station and had met the brothers. But even more than walking, Phil wanted to return to swimming. Jim Axelrod: Did the contract specify the use of pyrotechnics? [52] Speaking to the public for the first time since the fire, Biechele stated: For three years, I've wanted to be able to speak to the people that were affected by this tragedy, but I know that there's nothing that I can say or do that will undo what happened that night. Nine months after the fire, the club's owners, brothers Jeff and Michael Derderian, along with Daniel Biechele, the band's tour manager, were each charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter. That happened in 2002. Linda Saran: The foam was raining down and the flames are dripping from the ceiling. Its surreal. [49] In 2013, Kendall told The Providence Journal that he maintained amicable contact with some survivors, victims' families, and the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. I couldn't understand him or understand the magnitude of what was going on there. Vanner wonders whether he could have saved them. Jim Axelrod: To people who feel that the two of you have never said we own this what do you say? Petrarca was sitting near the bar that night in 2003, about five feet from a door, when the fire broke out. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the site of the fire for a number of months. It had to end, for me and it ended in the most beautiful way.. Flames soon appeared on the walls on either side of the stage and spread quickly along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling, intended to dampen sound. A decade ago, a survivor . People say they just feel peaceful, Russo told the Globe. [89] Kendall said in 2005, "We haven't played that song. ", "We are now at 65, and that may be higher ", Jeff Derderian: "Can you come in? . 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. [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. Linda Saran was a regular at The Station. "[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. After the investigation ended and prosecutors had no more questions, after reporters stopped calling and the years passed since that deadly night, the man who was the sound technician and stage manager at The Station nightclub was left with his thoughts. [85] By April 2016, $1.65 million of the $2 million fundraising goal had been achieved and construction of the Station Fire Memorial Park had commenced. 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. 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. Scott James: When people arrive, they walk through this entrance and this kinda longish hallway. In a statement, Rhode Island Gov. Scott James: It should not have happened. MICHAEL DERDERIAN: I plead not guilty, your honor. [92], Russell left Great White in 2010. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Jody King: He was gregarious. That's how thick the smoke was. Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for Great White who had ignited the pyrotechnics, plead guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2006 and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison with four to serve. Station nightclub fire survivor tells burn victims love can happen amid scars, fears: Joe Kinan has had more than 120 surgeries, not the least of which was a hand transplant. So many ways this could have been avoided, Matthew Hoffman, an East Greenwich, R.I. resident, told WPRI. Those at the nightclub had to act soon, as smoke was visible in the exit doorways in just over one minute. 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. he was very kind about it, but he said, "I don't ever see you competitively swimming again." Jody King says his brother enjoyed working for the Derderians. Obviously the nightclub was not in compliance, and there never should have been pyrotechnics, but there's no evidence the bouncers blocked people from . He sees a court-ordered therapist, who has told him he has depression and PTSD. Today she is president of the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, the group that oversaw the construction of the memorial park. Barr was located between the stage and the front door. And I turned around, I said, "Get out, get out, get to the door, get to the door!" "We wanted the full story to come out, not just some of it, and for people who want to come to their own conclusion on what happened that night," says Jeff Derderian. Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. This is a company that did little to educate their employees about the limits of polyurethane foam. At first, there was no panic. At the opening of the park I had 100 students from my school come, and I had to explain it all so I gave them their learning experience, she said of last Mays dedication of the park on the site of the Station nightclub. And Paul Vanner didnt like what he saw. At the scene, Jody King was desperate for information about his brother, and began to fear the worst. Scott James: I decided I would start asking some questions. The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., was on fire . Jeff Derderian: I remember we were trying to get people away from the building. That effort raised about $10,000 over seven years to help pay for the construction of the memorial park. 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. He was the. Witnesses of the nearly mile-wide tornado recount how they managed to survive. 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. 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. 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. The fire was now out of control; it had spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling intended to dampen sound. She wrote a book, meets with burn victims, talks to fire departments and fire safety groups across the country. That specific. Russell 's bandmate Ty Longley (guitar) was one of the people who perished in The Station blaze, which became the fourth deadliest fire in U.S. history. 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.. [79], The site of the fire was cleared, and a multitude of crosses were placed as memorials, left by loved ones of the deceased. Jim Axelrod: There are so many people still to this day angry that the case didn't go to trial. [99] 41 and a film based on O'Neill's play They Walk Among Us were aired by Rhode Island PBS in February 2013 in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the fire. The fire started shortly after Great White began performing their opening number, "Desert Moon". And it was ugly. Shed read Russos book, about how the fire left her a bald chick, and it convinced her to go back out into the world. The Guest List is a strikingly visual film. Michael spent 33 months in prison, while Jeff had to do 500 hours of community service. I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anybody else to. [12] Russell's relation with some survivors and families has been strained, although he remains close to Longley's family. But many, including the brothers, feel strongly Laroque should also have been charged. Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. [54] Darigan remarked, "The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself. [90] The band initially retired "Desert Moon", the song they were performing when the fire began, from their concert set list. [96] By 2013, Russell's group had resumed playing "Desert Moon". It started as part of the fundraising basketball games she organized at the school. And I fell down the stairs, out that door. [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]. The trunk bears the names of the fire victims. Phil Barr awoke after three weeks in a medically induced coma and was told his lungs had been badly damaged. SAN JOSE (BCN) - Three people were injured in a shooting that occurred Saturday morning at San Jose's Aura nightclub. And then, ever so slowly, he learned to walk again. So that was huge.. there was nothing that would make it so you couldn't get out of it. Linda Saran: Most of the crowd thought it was part of the show and didn't move. The Station Nightclub Fire: Who's Responsible? 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. But, you know, they have this following to this day . And I stood up. 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. How did you meet him? Since I had been there earlier in the night, I knew that there was at least an exit in the back barroom. Phil Barr: We kind of crouched down behind some of the people in front of us. It just so happens that we're . if he had done that, then he would have obviously have said to us . these contracts are pretty specific. Jim Axelrod: Did you have enough time to form those complete thoughts? 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.