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. The Guest List: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock Concert will premiere on Sunday, February 20, 2022. In the other rooms, the smoke hadn't gotten to them, the flame wasn't that bad, they didn't think anything of it. In 2008, the band agreed to pay $1. Her father has seven brothers, Pimentel said, and she was especially close to Carlos. 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. Vanner spoke about how his life derailed after 11:07 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2003. Survivors of the Station nightclub fire reflect on tragedy's 20th anniversary One hundred people were killed and many more injured when a pyrotechnic display caused a massive blaze in 2003.. And then we've got the pressure from the judge saying you know, you're going to go to jail for 30 years apiece. Out of it. I couldn't get up. [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. It started as part of the fundraising basketball games she organized at the school. Jody King: We never knew the whole story because the trial never happened, so everything really never came out. 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. And I'm like, "OK.". WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) Gina Russo, who survived The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick in 2003, spoke with NBC 10's Mario Hilario on the morning of the 20th anniversary of the. Phil Barr fought to breathe on his own. It would have been my legacy, Vanner said. [61] Michael Derderian received fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probationthe same sentence as Biechele. Jeff Derderian: There's so many things that factor into the decision to do that. Bruce Cain also lost someone who he was prepared to spend the rest of his life with. Michael Derderian: They got this fax and it went on to describe the business practices of the foam company. 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. I couldn't understand him or understand the magnitude of what was going on there. She endured more than 50 operations. She said she spent years after that in pain and anger. As soon as the pyrotechnics stopped, the flame had started on the egg-crate backing behind the stage, and it just went up the ceiling. It is now mandatory for nightclubs with occupancy over 150 to have them. Those at the nightclub had to act soon, as smoke was visible in the exit doorways in just over one minute. [60] As of 2013[update], Biechele lived in Florida with his wife and two children. ", Scott James: They had their moments. Patrick Lynch: while troubling, concerning, maddening it doesn't mean that somebody should be charged or can be. PATRICK LYNCH [news interview]: Certainly, there are people we are looking at, ultimately, we may target. local Four nonstop. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. 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. So that was huge.. It couldnt continue another 10, 15 years, it couldnt. Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. sentenced Biechele to fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probation, for his role in the fire. Patrick Lynch: I can't remember, honestly. 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. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the site of the fire for a number of months. [21] Thick smoke began to fill the station one minute after the ignition and the crowd began to escape the building. Everybody just kind of turned. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer. I cant do it for the rest of my life, she said. This is a company that did little to educate their employees about the limits of polyurethane foam. it became very, very hard to breathe. [11] For the 2003 tour, the band was billed as "Jack Russell's Great White". And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. Patrick Lynch: Again, any reference in this conversation about what the brothers say, I I take a step back and think I don't really trust it. it was also on fire. 9. At 55, he lives with his parents and keeps to himself. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. [4] In 1985, it was converted to a pub, which closed sometime in the late 1980s, and a nightclub was opened in its place in 1991. [32] The fine was not resolved until 2013, ten years after the fire, when it was upheld by a judge. Linda will forever wear the scars of that horrible night. They all later accepted plea deals. And the following year he was able to accomplish the impossible and rejoin his swim team. A California woman who had been injured in an accident and hadnt left her house in five years wrote her, she said. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: Rock and Roll is supposed to be fun, not deadly you know. S01:E02 - Joplin Tornado. Season 1. At the time of The Station fire, older clubs in Rhode Island weren't required to install sprinklers. Jim Axelrod: Do you feel, "Oh my goodness, we're in trouble?". 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? [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]. It was already in contract. [35], The fire, from its inception, was caught on videotape by cameraman Brian Butler for WPRI-TV of Providence, and the beginning of that tape was released to national news stations. The third started that day. One of them is never say die, never give up. [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. And I stood up. They were told to take it down. Joe Kinan was badly burned in the deadly Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island that left 100 dead and 230 injured in February 2003 . Michael Derderian: Zero. [21] The Station did not have a sprinkler system installed. And I remember that statement, because I was, like, this is not great. Phil Barr: We kind of crouched down behind some of the people in front of us. She took a photograph of the stone of a man who died and sent it to his daughter in California. 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. Station Fire Memorial Park, a permanent memorial to the victims of the fire, was opened in May 2017 at the site where the Station once stood. Jim Axelrod: How do you know he went in nine times? [2] The final tally by The Providence Journal of people inside the Station during the fire totaled 462. Then there's that interior, inward swinging door by the stage that Former Attorney General Patrick Lynch says was responsible for loss of life the night of the fire. [12] The rest of the lineup included guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire, bass guitarist Dave Felice, and drummer Eric Powers. [22] Biechele used four gerbs that were set to spray sparks 15 feet (4.6m) for fifteen seconds. 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? 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.. 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. and I just kind of went down on my face. 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. Linda Saran and Phil Barr, badly injured, were transported to a local hospital. It was liquid fire," says former Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who investigated the disaster. Scott James: They only have about 60 seconds to get out of the building if they're going to live. But 15 years later, she said, its time for her to move out of its shadow. The answer is no. I don't even like to talk about it. 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. [2][46] On December 9, 2003, the grand jury announced indictments against Station owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and Great White road manager Daniel M. 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. It's like a surge of bodies. [95], Russell performed a benefit show in February 2013 in Hermosa Beach, California in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the fire. They didn't even let him talk about it. In September 2008, The Jack Russell Tour Group Inc. offered $1 million in a settlement to survivors and victims' relatives. [6], Great White, the headlining band of the February 20 concert, had risen to fame as part of the glam metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. "[5], Many of the survivors of the fire developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the event. John Barylick is an attorney who represented victims in numerous wrongful death and personal injury cases arising from the Station nightclub fire. The fire started shortly after Great White began performing their opening number, "Desert Moon". You were not approaching that area at all. Michael owned a financial services business; Jeff was a local news reporter. And I said my hands won't work. VIEW ALL PHOTOS. I have to find him. It was there, she said, that she found the best therapists: others who had been in the fire. As it turns out, the foam they used was highly flammable. S01:E01 - San Francisco Freeway Collapse. You know people didn't react instantly. Scott James: I decided I would start asking some questions. When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. 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, And then, ever so slowly, he learned to walk again. [102] It is left for each state or local jurisdiction to legally enact and enforce the current code changes. 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. [3] A fire had previously occurred at the building in 1972 while it was used as a restaurant called Julio's. 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.. [95][49], Neither version of Great White performed in any of the six New England states for over a decade following the fire. Everyone carries baggage and I think at some point you figure out how to pack it and carry it with you, she said. View All 100 Memorials for the The Station Nightclub Fire Site. Dan Biechele, center, at his sentencing. Great White was part of the lawsuit. They said a critical piece of evidence was never presented to the grand jury. Phil Barr awoke after three weeks in a medically induced coma and was told his lungs had been badly damaged. Do you understand that anger? Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. And Paul Vanner didnt like what he saw. The Station was owned by brothers Michael and Jeff Derderian. And yet, at the point in time, I don't think I knew his name. He sees his actions as a verdict on his own humanity. But I should have at least tried.. The TIAs required automatic fire sprinklers in all existing nightclubs and similar locations that accommodate more than 100 occupants, and all new locations in the same categories. It was crowded, and it was getting bad. The roof was caving in, walls were caving in, body after body in front of me. But Saturday night, as . That was in like the 80s. Their story starts three years before the fire. Because so many people that were there don't have that opportunity. Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, which killed 100 people. And I never expected it to take off as fast as it did. And people stood and watched it, and some people backed off. Marc Goldbaum is the development producer. The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. We haven't played it since then and probably never will. [9] American Foam refuted the claims in Warner's fax. Jody King: He was gregarious. 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. (crying) So I can't expect anybody else to. 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. Michael Derderian: The club was sold. It justit was so fast. [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. [15][16] All the members of Trip escaped the Station without injury, but two members of Fathead, cousins Keith and Steven Mancini, died in the fire. For the Derderians, the "full story" begins with the issue of permission. They all say I never would have stopped it, and I probably wouldnt have. The state of Rhode Island is small," says author Scott James. They are speaking out about the fire for the first time. 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. As numerous violations of existing codes contributed to the severity of the fire, there was immediate effort to strengthen fire code protections. They promoted the event. February 20 is the 19th anniversary of the tragic fire that killed 100 and injured another 230 people at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. But that night, leading the cameraman around was bouncer Tracy King, a dedicated husband and father of three young boys. And that song reminds us of that night. The fire seemed to burn quickly, she added. The flanking gerbs became the principal cause of the fire. There had to be that period for me. On May 10, 2006, State Prosecutor Randall White asked that Biechele be sentenced to ten years in prison, the maximum allowed under the plea bargain, citing the massive loss of life in the fire and the need to send a message. [30] Longley reportedly died after returning to the building to retrieve his guitar. Jeff Derderian: Because in my mind I had nothing to hide. [89] The band raised $185,000 for the Station Family Fund during the tour. JEFF DERDERIAN [crying]: Many people didn't make it out and that is a horror that will haunt my family and I for the rest of our lives. Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. It was late on Feb. 20, 2003, when the cold winter night erupted in flames. Since he co-owned The Station nightclub with his brother Michael Derderian, Jeff suggested it as a venue for generic nightclub footage. Jeff Derderian: I remember we were trying to get people away from the building. That is the furthest exit away from the stage But it's a relatively straight line. We took shortcuts. I never imagined that anyone ever would be. Linda Saran: Yes. She wrote a book, meets with burn victims, talks to fire departments and fire safety groups across the country. He was the. . He spent 33 months in prison, while Jeff had to do 500 hours of community service. Many of the families believed that the punishment was just; others had hoped for a more severe sentence. Today, we mourn the 100 lives lost in the Station nightclub fire and the hundreds more whose lives will never be the same. then as it heals, the scarring tightens up. Sparks from the gerbs ignited the insulation foam, and flames were visible on the wall above the stage within nine seconds of their ignition. Saran was one of the more than 200 who were seriously hurt in the fire. His work was instrumental in amassing 176 million dollars in settlements from persons and corporations responsible for the fire. This article was originally published on Oct. 22, 2021. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. Gina Russo of Cranston, R.I. is a survivor of the Station nightclub fire and president of The Station Fire Memorial Foundation. I just don't find him as guilty of anything. 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. 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. SAN JOSE (BCN) - Three people were injured in a shooting that occurred Saturday morning at San Jose's Aura nightclub. Firefighters responded within five minutes, and the building was fully engulfed within six minutes, according to a timeline assembled by WPRI. But what they received was highly flammable packing foam. Tweet. For years, he worked in Boston for Channel 7. 0:57. [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. 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. Cassidy was questioned by Customs and Border Protection in 2016, three sources familiar with the probe . Phil Barr: It was getting harder and harder to breathe I could feel tightness and constriction in my chest. [54] Darigan remarked, "The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself. The night of the fire Jeff Derderian gave a statement to the local police and another one to an investigator with the Attorney General's Office. Jeff Derderian: That door was opened immediately and that's where the band went out. That's all I can keep seeing in my head. So many ways this could have been avoided, Matthew Hoffman, an East Greenwich, R.I. resident, told WPRI. Now in private practice, Lynch says he looked into a host of people. Patrick Lynch: I don't think anybody in anything that they did wanted anybody to die that night or get injured. Phil Barr: I remember the smoke descended really quickly. Barr was located between the stage and the front door. Scott James: When people arrive, they walk through this entrance and this kinda longish hallway. It was completely preventable. [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. 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. She paused, her eyes tearing. That was the most important thing, they didnt freak.. [21] The fire spread throughout the building and was completely engulfed within six minutes of the pyrotechnic ignition. 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. Jim Axelrod: Mr. Warner's fax wasn't presented to the grand jury, correct? Lying on the floor not far from the horseshoe bar, Barr lost consciousness. Jim Axelrod: Who's responsible for that foam going up on the wall? 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.