station nightclub fire survivors list

And I said my hands won't work. It all started around 11 p.m. when the rock band Jack Russell's Great White took the stage and the group's tour manager, Daniel Biechele, set off four large fireworks called gerbs. He wrote: "This is a company that is well aware of the dangers of polyurethane foam. And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. Linda Saran: That's when you make a decision. I'm so sorry for what I have done, and I don't want to cause anyone any more pain. Jody King: He trusted the club. : In 2021, 48 Hours described the total civil payments to the victims and families as $176 million. [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. Michael Derderian: It would have been horrific to have people go through this. Eighteen years later, there is no consensus among survivors when it comes to blame. It was late on Feb. 20, 2003, when the cold winter night erupted in flames. 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. 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. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. I'm going to do this. According to author Scott James, Great White had reportedly used a large pyro display without permission at other clubs, including just days before the fire at a show in New Jersey. [32] In April 2003, The Derderians were fined $1.07 million for failing to carry workers' compensation insurance for their employees. In 2003, 100 people died and over 200 were injured at a rock concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island. 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. The TIAs also required additional crowd manager personnel, among other things. 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. it was also on fire. Barr says when he came to, he felt excruciating pain near the base of his spine and burning on his face. This is solid gasoline. And I remember that statement, because I was, like, this is not great. There had to be that period for me. Cassidy was questioned by Customs and Border Protection in 2016, three sources familiar with the probe . One guy did crawl out. You see on your left the horseshoe-shaped bar. I thought how terrible it was that my daughter was going to grow up without her mom. it was happening so fast, fast, fast, fast. [32] The fine was not resolved until 2013, ten years after the fire, when it was upheld by a judge. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. Gina Russo has no clear memory of how, with her hair on fire, she got out of the Station nightclub the night of Feb. 20, 2003. And then on one side, I noticed it come over the top, and that's when I said, "I have to leave." The brothers say there was evidence that the grand jury never heard. 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. The third started that day. 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. A decade ago, a survivor . The Guest List: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock Concert will premiere on Sunday, February 20, 2022. PATRICK LYNCH [press conference]: We have an investigation on going and we need help, we need answers and I'm trying to get them. Phil Barr: Being a survivor of The Station nightclub fire is a piece of who I am. So, I actually got a really good sense of the layout of the venue.". [78], On the twentieth anniversary of the fire on February 20, 2023, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee ordered flags in Rhode Island lowered to half-staff for the day and the Rhode Island State House to be illuminated in memory of the 100 victims. That night, he allowed a cameraman to shoot footage inside the club for an upcoming story about safety in public venues. Jim Axelrod: Do you feel, "Oh my goodness, we're in trouble?". 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.. that door being up, there is no question that that increased the likelihood that many, many more would perish. Isn't that an important fact in determining who's at fault? 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. It seems like yesterday We were going to get married in June and she passed away in February, Cain told CBS. Michael Derderian: Jeffrey was responsible for all the marketing activities. The Derderians bought the club as an investment. [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. [76] The Rhode Island state fire code was changed after the fire to require every nightclub in the state with a capacity of over 150 people to have a sprinkler system installed.[3]. Scott James: They are what they call 15x15. [97] Russell raised about $180 from the concert, but the Memorial Foundation refused the donation, a decision supported by Kendall. [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. But their plans for the future would suddenly change. 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. I said to myself, we gotta go. My parents taught us a lot, a lot of things. A surgery to correct a childhood ailment with his ears left him able to balance objects on his chin. 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. 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. Jody King kneels at his brother Tracy's memorial. "I literally baked alive," says Linda Barr. " Within weeks, the National Fire Protection Association committee met to regulate code for "assembly occupancies." [24] The first West Warwick fire engine arrived at the scene at 11:13 p.m., followed by three other trucks shortly thereafter. Linda Saran: Second- and-third-degree burns, over 34 percent of my body from the heat. I couldn't get up. "[5], Many of the survivors of the fire developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the event. Jim Axelrod: When you come to, you're in a hospital room. 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. Michael Derderian also spoke via phone to an investigator. It took about five years to come to terms with that, she said. Jody King: They blamed three. Barr was located between the stage and the front door. Witnesses of the nearly mile-wide tornado recount how they managed to survive. One of them is never say die, never give up. [104] The legislation would create a tax incentive for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems. In 2008, the band agreed to pay $1. [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. But what they received was highly flammable packing foam. Jeff Derderian: They didn't even bring up the fax to him. Phil Barr: You know just have a beer, see a concert. One near the bar. In February 2008, Providence television station. In the days after the fire, victims' families and survivors faced a harsh new reality. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) investigation of the fire under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team Act, using computer simulations with FDS and a mockup of the stage area and dance floor, concluded that a fire sprinkler system would have contained the fire long enough to give everyone time to exit safely. So, I said to Deb, "stay here. But many, including the brothers, feel strongly Laroque should also have been charged. Flames were seen breaking through a part of the roof in less than five minutes. [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. if I had nothing to hide, then why wouldn't you why wouldn't you talk to them and tell them what you knew or what you didn't know? She endured more than 50 operations. But Jeff Derderian, who was helping out at the bar, says he and an employee tried to get to the stage with a fire extinguisher. One near the bar. 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. 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. Cold air washing over me. So, I actually got a really good sense of the layout of the venue. [95], Russell performed a benefit show in February 2013 in Hermosa Beach, California in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the fire. Michael Derderian: But that door became impassable almost within seconds because clearly there's foam that's burning at 800 or 1,500 degrees. 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. Hundreds of people ran to the only exit many of them knew the way they came in. [38] Derderian had begun working for WPRI on February 17, three days before the fire. Jeff Derderian: That door was opened immediately and that's where the band went out. [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. He arrived early around 8:30 p.m. Phil Barr: There really weren't that many people around early in the night. So, I would think that the pyrotechnic provision would be in there just like we need to have, you know, 12 M&Ms, I mean, you know, and they need to be brown. 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. [2], Prior to being converted into a nightclub and concert venue, the Station building had been used as a restaurant and tavern. [54] Darigan remarked, "The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself. [2] The final tally by The Providence Journal of people inside the Station during the fire totaled 462. [47] Larocque was not charged by the grand jury, as Lynch had cited a state law that prevented charges against fire marshals without proof of bad faith. [89] "I don't think I could ever sing that song again," said Russell. View All 100 Memorials for the The Station Nightclub Fire Site. Since I had been there earlier in the night, I knew that there was at least an exit in the back barroom. And then the main exit that hallway where everyone came through," explains Scott James. And it was ugly. Jim Axelrod: Describe The Station nightclub for me. I refused to accept that as the outcome. Almost immediately the finger pointing started. Phil Barr: We kind of crouched down behind some of the people in front of us. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. if he had done that, then he would have obviously have said to us . 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. [9], Thousands of mourners attended an interfaith memorial service at St. Gregory the Great Church in Warwick on February 24, 2003, to remember those lost in the fire. But that night, leading the cameraman around was bouncer Tracy King, a dedicated husband and father of three young boys. Phil Barr fought to breathe on his own. some bleeding I could notice in my throat. [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. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. And then we've got the pressure from the judge saying you know, you're going to go to jail for 30 years apiece. Sparks from the gerbs ignited the insulation foam, and flames were visible on the wall above the stage within nine seconds of their ignition. "It feels like somebody knew somebody who was in that fire or knew somebody who did, so the pain is very personal.". Pyrotechnics ignited foam insulation that lined the walls and ceiling around the stage, the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded. Both the brothers had other jobs. The brothers, however, find that hard to believe considering the foam covered the walls, ceiling and even the inward swinging door he cited as a violation. On February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in United States history occurred in The Station nightclub. This is a massive part of my life. Patrick Lynch: Looking back on it I would say they ran it as a side business, an attempt to maybe make some extra money with the callous, utter disregard for those that work there and assemble there. If they stood up and said, small business owners, we were inexperienced. Her father wont visit the memorial, and it took her years to be able to drive down Cowesett Avenue, she said. . [89] The band raised $185,000 for the Station Family Fund during the tour. Jeff Derderian: Because in my mind I had nothing to hide. The fire seemed to burn quickly, she added. Scott James: I decided I would start asking some questions. 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. Vanner doesnt know when the night will be over. Lynch also points out that the exits were a safety issue. "We never knew the whole story because the trial never happened, so everything really never came out," says Jody King, whose brother worked at The Station as a bouncer. This is the time to leave. In fact, they did the opposite.". That's what the code says. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Purchase and sale had been signed. I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: Rock and Roll is supposed to be fun, not deadly you know. Patrick Lynch: while troubling, concerning, maddening it doesn't mean that somebody should be charged or can be. [89] Kendall said in 2005, "We haven't played that song. We haven't played it since then and probably never will. And Paul Vanner didnt like what he saw. Last year, he was charged with striking a woman for whom he was a caretaker. Biechele and Michael Derderian went to prison. Out of it. And that song reminds us of that night. Taking her students to the memorial park and telling them what it means were ways of building that memory, she said. Eighteen years later, there was no consensus among survivors when it comes to blame. So many ways this could have been avoided, Matthew Hoffman, an East Greenwich, R.I. resident, told WPRI. [60], Following Biechele's trial, The Station's owners, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, were scheduled to receive separate trials. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He wasnt charged with a crime, but his thoughts punish him. That's when I turned back. The fire began as rock band Great White played to the crowd. 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. And people just stood there. Patrick Lynch: They are running the operation. I noticed when the pyro stopped, the flame had kept going on both sides. S01:E02 - Joplin Tornado. It justit was so fast. 0:57. The company paid a hefty settlement and they weren't the only ones. American Foam said Warner's claims about the company are false. When King arrived, he saw the devastating scene. Michael Derderian: Remember, I'm still in Florida. 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. Fifteen years since that terrible night. [4] Another restaurant opened in the building in 1974. As numerous violations of existing codes contributed to the severity of the fire, there was immediate effort to strengthen fire code protections. And people stood and watched it, and some people backed off. I miss Tina a lot. The brothers have always maintained that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics. Today Phil Barr is married and a father of two little girls. Jeff Derderian: We tried to get as far as we could. And he says you can. Michael Derderian: We do understand that anger and that's that's why we're here with you. [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. WEST WARWICK, R.I. The owners of The Station nightclub say their decision to finally speak publicly about the deadly fire there nearly . That exit door would soon be engulfed in flames. 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, [2], In the months prior to the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque. 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. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. And I was paying staff pricing for beer because I knew a guy. [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. I ran across the room and I ran face-first into the wall. Access remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20. He had failed to get a license for the pyrotechnics from the State of Rhode Island and permits from the local fire department. [59], Biechele's parole and probation expired in March 2011. [102] It is left for each state or local jurisdiction to legally enact and enforce the current code changes. "[58] The state parole board received approximately twenty letters, the majority of which expressed their sympathy and support for Biechele, some going as far as to describe him as a "scapegoat" with limited responsibility. And that's when I noticed the black on my arms. We have an exit through the kitchen. Her father has seven brothers, Pimentel said, and she was especially close to Carlos. And then, ever so slowly, he learned to walk again. into the main barroom. Michael Derderian: No. According to Lynch, under Rhode Island law, the fire marshal could not be criminally charged unless there was evidence of bad faith or malice. He sees a court-ordered therapist, who has told him he has depression and PTSD. 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]. View Image Gallery. Survivor Phil Barr arrived to The Station early the night of the concert. You know people didn't react instantly. Lying on the floor not far from the horseshoe bar, Barr lost consciousness. Jim Axelrod: And that's when the despair sinks in. Tracy died never giving up. I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. I had no control over my muscles. "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. It was that fast. First published on October 23, 2021 / 11:18 PM. For more information on your department or district joining the SAVE program click here or contact the California Fire Foundation at save@cpf.org or (916) 641-1707. Those at the nightclub had to act soon, as smoke was visible in the exit doorways in just over one minute. undisputable. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, who was behind her, pushing her toward the door, perished. We talk about fire safety a bit, I dont get too, too far into it.. So, it was not a great decision to use these inside a nightclub that only has 12-foot ceilings. [49] In 2013, Kendall told The Providence Journal that he maintained amicable contact with some survivors, victims' families, and the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. . People recall the events of the fourth deadliest night club fire in U.S. history. When I turned around, some people were already trying to leave, and others were just sitting there going, "Yeah, that's great!" Michael Derderian: He's completely out of it. [61], In January 2008, the Parole Board decided to grant Michael Derderian an early release; he was scheduled to be released from prison in September 2009, but was granted his release in June 2009 for good behavior.[64]. 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. PROVIDENCE Over the years Dave Kane has had to find a place to store his outrage over losing his 18-year-old son, Nicholas, in The Station nightclub fire in 2003. The Derderians say despite their love for the club the business had peaked, and they were in the process of selling it. The roof was caving in, walls were caving in, body after body in front of me. Everybody just kind of turned. 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. As a result of this and other similar incidents, fire chiefs, fire marshals and inspectors require trained crowd managers to comply with the International Fire Code, NFPA-101 Life Safety Code, NFPA-1 Fire Code and many local ordinances that address safety in public-assembly occupancies. 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. 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. Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. Phil Barr: I loved it. It was like what? Season 1. They were friends. once you could no longer see, it was total pandemonium. my dad was in the room. Patrick Lynch: Not only was the door up, which it shouldn't have been, opened inward which it shouldn't have It was covered in foam. I never imagined that anyone ever would be. At 55, he lives with his parents and keeps to himself. Linda Saran: I said, "you know what? Linda Saran: The night of the fire I got in for free. The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. 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. The Station Nightclub Fire - University of Cincinnati pdf To summarize the reports, specifically about how people exited, the vast majority of people attempted to exit the way they came in. Patrick Lynch: I can't remember, honestly. Honored to have been able to attend such an in depth and eye opening training opportunity. The Foam.". It started as part of the fundraising basketball games she organized at the school. Phil Barr: Yep. Scott James: It should not have happened. He threw my wife, my cousin, my uncle, my sister out a window." Jeff Derderian: There's so many things that factor into the decision to do that. They would want to talk, she said, and they wouldnt freak. / CBS News. The Station was owned by brothers Jeff and Michael Derderian. Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. Scott James: When people arrive, they walk through this entrance and this kinda longish hallway. I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anybody else to. Flames can be seen on the back wall. And that's when it starts to hit you all that you've lost. But it's fun. Now in private practice, Lynch says he looked into a host of people. 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. Linda Saran: It's like a riptide. The State of Rhode Island and the town of West Warwick agreed to pay $10 million as settlement. That happened in 2001. local Four nonstop. In the stampede, 21 people were killed. He says he managed to escape through the front door before a stampede of people got stuck in the narrow hallway and blocked the exit. And I was responsible for the day to day. [21] A total of 462 people were in attendance, even though the club's maximum licensed capacity was cited as 404.[2]. 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. [9] Although Warner was called to testify to a grand jury, he was not asked about the fax. Scott James: It was a typical kind of roadside dive. 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. [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. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. 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. Since he co-owned The Station nightclub with his brother Michael Derderian, Jeff suggested it as a venue for generic nightclub footage. John Barylick is an attorney who represented victims in numerous wrongful death and personal injury cases arising from the Station nightclub fire. 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. [9] The ensuing crowd crush in the narrow hallway led to that exit being blocked completely and resulted in numerous deaths and injuries among the patrons and staff. He trusted the owners. Phil Barr [teary-eyed]: Getting another opportunity to live my life came with enormous responsibility. We couldn't make it. As we mark 20 years since that night, here are those who. [3] A fire had previously occurred at the building in 1972 while it was used as a restaurant called Julio's.

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