CNN reported, A statement released by brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian [co-owners of the Station nightclub] read: At no time did either owner have prior knowledge that pyrotechnics were going to be used by the band Great White., Dominic Santana, owner of the New Jersey nightclub Stone Pony, claimed Great White had used pyrotechnics during a show at his nightclub without permission. Anyone can read what you share. ", He told bartender Julie Mellini that they had to leave, and she and several patrons followed Vanner out the kitchen door. Fused by pain, Station fire survivors, loved ones mark 18th anniversary: Theyre all here. The night of the fire, hundreds of people gathered at The Station to see Great White, an 80s band now with some new members lead by singer Jack Russell and known mainly for their hit "Once. Keith Richards: The Rolling Stone Interview. The group came under attack for accepting about $100,000 from Great White early on, with some survivors and relatives of the dead calling it blood money. First, there is the issue of the club's capacity. The devastation wrought by the defendant in unparalleled is our states history, White asserted. In analysing the Station nightclub fire, it is difficult to point to one single factor that made it so deadly. Should PTSD qualify for injured-on-duty status? Her bill was $646 that month, she said. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Another 230 people were injured in what ranks as the nations fourth-deadliest nightclub fire. She wrote a book, meets with burn victims, talks to fire departments and fire safety groups across the country. That effort raised about $10,000 over seven years to help pay for the construction of the memorial park. People here were forgotten two weeks after the fire. The fire burned right to the skull, which killed all the follicles. Quiet, emotional end for Station fire remnants: The more than 700 pieces of evidence, trucked from the Cranston warehouse where they had been held in evidence storage, were destroyed. All rights reserved. While many say they will never get over it, they have found a way to get along with it. Many remain furious that one of the clubs owners was sentenced to community service and the other is expected to leave prison next year. Taking her students to the memorial park and telling them what it means were ways of building that memory, she said. Nothing lifts his despair. Few people other than staff knew of the kitchen and bar doors. 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. The fire left her with burns over 40 percent of her body, it incinerated her hair. On Feb. 20, 2003, The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, burst into flames when pyrotechnics from the rock band landed on flammable foam installed as soundproofing. He suffered third- and fourth-degree burns to over 40 percent of his body and was comatose for three months. I needed for that day to come, she said. A California woman who had been injured in an accident and hadn't left her house in five years wrote her, she said. Property owner Ray Villanova formally donated it to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation on September 28, 2012. Victoria Eagan, who had walked to the Station from her home a block away, had been a couple of rows from the stage when the fire began. She wore a spaghetti-strap top so he could see her scars. Christina Pimentel wasn't 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. I never imagined that anyone ever would be. In firefighters' hearts, the disaster isn't over: How long can a memory feel like a live wire arcing against your heart? 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. This fire immediately invoked memories of other tragic fires in assembly She and Matt knew they were expecting a girl and they had already chosen her name. 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. In many communities, the crucial task of inspecting buildings in search of potentially life-threatening fire hazards falls to just one person. Rhode Island nightclub burns A fire at a rock concert in a West Warwick, Rhode Island, nightclub kills 100 people and seriously injures almost 200 more on February 20, 2003. A California woman who had been injured in an accident and hadnt left her house in five years wrote her, she said. I dont know that Ill ever forgive myself for what happened that night so I cant expect anyone else to. Barylick writes that although a sprinkler system would have cost only $39,000 the Derderians had not installed one and without sprinklers, patrons who did not escape The Station within ninety seconds of ignition stood little chance of survival.. But that help has all but disappeared, even though many of the injured face more surgeries, cannot resume full-time work, and struggle to afford heating oil and other basics. ", "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 it's one of those things. But with last year's dedication of the Station Memorial Park on the site of the nightclub, she said she found that along with the scars, that night had provided her with a purpose in life and people she would otherwise never have known. I will never forget that night and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. This site is dedicated to the memory of the 100 victims who lost their lives in the Station Nightclub fire on February 20, 2003 in West Warwick, RI. Her father has seven brothers, Pimentel said, and she was especially close to Carlos. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. A state request for federal disaster relief was denied on grounds that the fire did not meet the definition of a natural disaster. And regulations dont mean much unless they are consistently enforced. What he calls a fellowship has endured. The states Crime Victim Compensation Program awarded grants averaging $8,800 to 222 claimants after the fire, but the government provided little else. If it had been people at the opera that night, there would have been a big difference.. His former wife . The Derderians ordered polyurethane foam from American Foam and installed blocks of it over the walls and ceiling on The Station. "I figured I was on my own at that point.". Theyre depressed, guilt-ridden and angry, and to most Americans outside the small, insular state of Rhode Island, theyre invisible, forgotten casualties of a forgotten brand of rock & roll. There were four exits but most people scrambled for the front door through which they had entered. But I don't want it to define the rest of my life. . He is now seven years sober from cocaine, although alcohol is a more pestering problem, he says. "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 May's dedication of the park on the site of the Station nightclub. It was one of the deadliest nightclub fires in the nation's history, and an event that has had lasting consequences for hundreds of families. ABCNews. Lexipol. The Station nightclub on Cowesett Avenue and Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island, caught fire as the band Great White shot off pyrotechnics to punctuate its entrance on stage. Brothers Michael and Jeffery Derderian, who owned The Station nightclub, for using highly flammable polyurethane foam as soundproofing on the walls of the club and for letting 462 people into a building, bringing it over capacity. West Warwick police officer Mark Knott radioed headquarters: Stampede.. 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. The third started that day. The sum total of all settlements was slightly over $176 million. 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]. The index finger on my left hand was an open wound, which didnt heal properly and ended up contracting. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. How many people died in the station nightclub fire? The Station fire changed how we view fire safety. It requires sprinklers in every nightclub serving more than 150 people. Everything went black': For reporters, tragedy, disaster and sorrow come with the territory. . Biechele and Great White, the Derderian brother, Larocque and the town of West Warwick plus a host of others figured into lawsuits that led to a payout of $176 million to those who were injured and the families of those who died. Weve been kicking around the idea of a black-tie ball, maybe at the Biltmore, Ms. Fisher said, referring to the fanciest hotel in Providence. As were going down the stairs to get into the comedy club, in the heart of Times Square, the first thought that goes through my mind: I come back and look and go: Are there two exits down there? she said. On Feb. 20, 2003, the nation's fourth-deadliest nightclub fire occurred in the Town of West Warwick, RI, killing 100 people and injuring nearly 300. Some of the survivors of the Station fire will never work again, breathe properly, feed themselves or tan on a beach. Donovan Williams, who was badly burned, hopes settlements will help some. Incredibly, West Warwicks fire marshal, Denis Larocque, remains on the job. It took a while, she said, but she thinks she had found the way to move on from it but to keep it with her as well. Rhode Island Honors 'The Station' Nightclub Fire Victims 20 Years Later NECN. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. She said she went into the club that night a naive, fun-loving 27-year-old and came out angry and feeling guilty. . But instead, I chose to run like a common coward.. His attorney said Biechele wanted to be a private person.. 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. I try to say it in the lightest way possible, she said. It took about five years to come to terms with that, she said. Medical teams met the challenge; everyone who got out survived that night: Whatever their memories, the medical professionals who helped the victims of the Station nightclub fire 10 years ago have one thing in common: they will never forget. She got out. She finallywent home, on June 13th, 113 days after the Great White concert. He refused to talk with reporters and entered an automobile driven by a lawyer. body, even if he can't seem to melt her Page 8/187. So far, tickets are selling poorly for a concert to benefit the Station Family Fund, planned for Feb. 25 in Providence. Petrarca was sitting near the bar that night in 2003, about five feet from a door, when the fire broke out. Within. Vanner doesnt know when the night will be over. The Scene. The Station nightclub in West Warwick burned down Feb. 20, 2003, during a concert by rock band Great White, leaving 100 people dead and more than 200 injured. I didnt survive to sit home on the couch and cry, she said. 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 3 The station nightclub has been identified as one of the worst fire cases to have happened in the United States. Station Fire Memorial Foundation rejects donation from Great White singer: The lead singer of the band whose fireworks touched off the Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people was forced to search for a new charity to be the recipient of money to be raised at a benefit concert in California. 00:50. Recommended Stories Fox News Hundreds of uninvited Texas teens. She paused, her eyes tearing. And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. Since then, three more have died, but 33 severely burned people have survived. He turned back to see the crowd bottle-necked at the stage. People that were making $30,000, $40,000 a year had to take jobs making eight bucks an hour because they are so physically challenged, said Todd King, a survivor who lives and works in North Carolina now and runs the Station Family Fund, a grass-roots nonprofit group that still raises money for the worst-off victims. She has limited use of her right arm. The West Warwick, Rhode Island club The Station was purchased by brothers Michael A. and Jeffrey A. Derderian in 2000 and three years later became a scene of tragedy that would haunt Rhode Island forever. WEST WARWICK, R.I. Savagely burned in the fire that incinerated the Station nightclub here five years ago next Wednesday, Linda Fisher has endured a dozen surgeries to salvage her . Fueled by the flammable foam, the fire spread quickly, trapping many people inside. She took a photograph of the stone of a man who died and sent it to his daughter in California. (WPRI) Carlton Howorth III, known as "Buddy," was one of the 100 people who died inside the Station nightclub fire. It started as part of the fundraising basketball games she organized at the school. Vanner wonders whether he could have saved them. Within seconds, sheets of flame raced up the wall. On February 17, 2003 someone discharged pepper spray to break up a fistfight in a Chicago nightclub. Lawsuits were filed against several defendants including American Foam Corporation, Anheuser-Busch Inc. (which had advertised the concert as well as supplied beer), the Town of West Warwick (which had inspected The Station and not found it a fire hazard), and Great White. Mr. Williams, who works in telephone sales, needs a ride to his job and cannot do quotidian things like opening jars and tying shoes. As survivor Gina Russo and writer Paul Londardo reported in From the Ashes, the first theory was criminal negligence manslaughter, which results when the accused ignores the bodily risk to others and death results. Across from the former Station nightclub site in West Warwick, R.I., a circle of crosses form a makeshift memorial to the 100 who died in a fire five years ago. We ran two operating rooms for almost three weeks, five days a week.. . She had seen the 1980s heavy-metal band many times in the past, including once at Liquid . "And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was 'oh, his hair's fantastic. She endured more than 50 operations. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . "They would want to talk," she said, "and they wouldn't freak. "A true hero would have gone for it," Vanner said. When fireworks ignited the soundproofing foam on the stage wall, he ran for a fire extinguisher. CNN further stated, Rhode Island fire marshal Jesse Owens said a licensed pyrotechnician must apply for a permit to use fireworks during a performance. No one with Great White had applied for the permit and Biechele had no pyrotechnician license. "In my head, I didn't even belong with them because I walked out without a scratch.". Suzanne Vega to Play Livestream Benefit for Struggling Clubs Last year, he was charged with striking a woman for whom he was a caretaker. Vanner doesn't know when the night will be over. 1,101 were here. Widowed, they raise children on disability checks that dont reach poverty level, and they contemplate bankruptcy. I can only pray that they understand that I would do anything to undo what happened that night and give them back their loved ones. Her father won't visit the memorial, and it took her years to be able to drive down Cowesett Avenue, she said. Getting out didnt mean going back to normal. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). In the aftermath, West Warwick, Rhode Island TV news reporter Jeff Derderian wanted to run a story on nightclub safety. The second was the time from that night until the dedication of the memorial last spring. It is a tale of love lost, opportunities missed, true grit, triumph of the human spirit, and so much more. After prison, Biechele rebuilding life in Fla.: Former tour manager who lit the pyrotechnics has left music industry behind, his lawyer says. Dee Snider, the lead singer for the band Twisted Sister and the concerts host, said country and Christian rock performers would join metal bands onstage to broaden the causes appeal. He called his plea an effort to bring peace.. The main exit becomes clogged with a pile of clubgoers who had tripped in the surge. The victims of the fire were trapped inside the burning building because it lacked sufficient means of egress such as egress windows. She said she spent years after that in pain and anger. local Four nonstop flights to Florida cities from PVD added by. Twenty-nine remained in. 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. All rights reserved. You must enable JavaScript in your browser to view and post comments. It took a while, she said, but she thinks she had found the way to move on from it but to keep it with her as well. For the first few years she shunned memorial ceremonies but eventually was convinced to go. Immediately, the FAA declared the site a "no-fly" zone. Two funds administered by the United Way and the Rhode Island Foundation raised almost $3.8 million for victims of the fire and their families, but gave out most early on. The tragedy happened during a set of the hard rock band, Great White. The Derderian brothers were targets of criminal investigations and civil lawsuits. In May 2000, the Derderians had paid a visit to Barry Warner, who lived close to The Station and had repeatedly complained about its noise under previous owners. When January comes each year, she starts a lesson, delicately, talking about The Station and how there was a fire there. It was a lethal combination, a perfect storm of events that led up to catastrophe. Even if the plaintiffs prevail, there may be little money to go around for those wounded in the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in American history. . Even if he couldn't. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Days later, doctors informed Russos parents that their daughter would die. Loved ones remember Station nightclub fire victims, 20 years later February 19, 2023, 6:46 PM WBZ-TV's Paul Burton reports. Meanwhile, Ms. Fisher and Ms. Eagan are brainstorming about how to draw more support. Jeff and Michael Derderian changed their pleas from not guilty to no contest. In September 2006, Michael received four years imprisonment plus three years probation just as Biechele had. Like many in a small state where news travels fast, the Providence-based lawyer had already heard about the previous night's fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I.he knew about the pyrotechnics gone terribly wrong, the flaming wall of soundproofing, and the deadly . Two decades after 100 people were killed in. I dont think anyone is going to be made a millionaire and drive a Mercedes, she said. She paused, her eyes tearing. The surviving band members one died that night are named in the lawsuit, but some, including Ms. Fisher, do not hold them responsible. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Cameraman Brian Butler was at The Station on February 23, 2003. Firefighters and rescue personnel remove one of the fatalities from the nightclub The Station in West Warwick, RI on Feb. 21, 2003. As the California band Great White took the stage that February night in 2003, pyrotechnics ignited soundproofing foam insulation which resulted in a massive blaze. It was there, she said, that she found the best therapists: others who had been in the fire. 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. A handful of defendants have settled, offering a tentative total of about $71.5 million. In the stampede, 21 people were killed. This fire completely destroyed the building and resulted in 100 fatalities and over 200 injuries, becoming the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. The blaze swept through the club, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. He sees his actions as a verdict on his own humanity. The Station Nightclub was a popular heavy metal nightclub in West Warwick, RI built in 1946 and grandfathered out of the 1976 fire sprinkler law. He sees his actions as a verdict on his own humanity. The Derderians assured Warner of their hope that he would not be disturbed. He lost his fingers and ears as well as the sight in his left eye, along with much of his nose tissue. There is only ONE bouncer in the world that positively worked at the station that night, and had a wife named Kelly that died after the fact. Skin grafts make them itch, like junkies attacking their scabs if their fingers work at all. Jeffrey Derderian was sentenced to probation and 500 hours of community service (Tucker 2008). Even if he died trying. "I had the fire extinguisher in my hand," Vanner said. At first, all kinds of help poured in for the roughly 200 injured survivors and families of 100 others who died in the disaster, one of the worst nightclub fires in the nations history. Her fianc, Alfred "Freddy" Crisostomi, who was behind her, pushing her toward the door, perished. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. Survivors, families, friends, firefighters, doctors and nurses were left to carry the physical and emotional scars of that night. Vanner has no excuses. The names of the victims of the Station night club fire Russo suffered burns over 40 percent of her body. He tells her he wishes that he'd tried to extinguish the fire. Gina Russo, 36, a chatty single mother of two small boys, passed out from the black smoke and never saw who pulled her out of the crush of bodies piled up like cordwood at the clubs main entrance. In urban areas, high turnover means that fire marshals rarely stick around long enough to learn all the nuances of the code. In many communities, the crucial task of inspecting buildings in search of potentially life-threatening fire hazards falls to just one person. Gina Russo says she emerged from the flames in a better place: But 10 years after the fire killed her fianc, after 54 operations and skin grafts to heal her burned body and treat recurring complications; after periods of sadness, anger and frustration over who was lost, who wasnt prosecuted, who never apologized, Russo says she is grateful. The day after the fire, before a medical examiner confirmed that his brother was among the dead, King was on the phone with the Derderian brothers and wept with them. On the day he died, Matt kissed his wifes stomach and said: God, I wish shed come today. Now, ten years later the family reflects on the many challenges and losses life has thrown at them. I had fourth-degree burns there, which means my hair will never grow back, she says. Michael Derderian, who plead no contest for involuntary manslaughter for installation of the combustible foam, was sentenced to four years. The guy filming was doing so for a piece on nightclub safety if you can even believe the irony of that . Realizing the truth, Biechele gasped, I think Im in trouble. Fire reached the ceiling. The scars on John Fairbairn's body have faded during the 10 years since he suffered severe burns in the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I. . Select from premium Dance Club On West of the highest quality. Rescue workers, firefighters and police officers pull bodies from the burned-out remains of The Station, a nightclub in West Warwick, R.I. February 21st, 2003 Susan Watts/NY Daily News Archive/Getty They also feel forgotten. It was crowded, and it was getting bad. Copyright 2023 FireRescue1. 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. The charge is pending. Carcieri said 81 victims from the blaze that consumed The Station music club in West Warwick late Thursday night are too badly burned for visual identification. Russo hung on and, with the help of a new type of ventilator, began to improve. That day let her put a period on the last sentence of Chapter Two, she said. Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the Station nightclub fire, one of the deadliest blazes to ever occur at a nightclub in the United States. White concert Ms. Fisher and Ms. Eagan are brainstorming about how to more! Her, pushing her toward the door, when the fire until the dedication of highest! Contest for involuntary manslaughter for installation of the highest quality I figured I was on my own at that.. Ears as well as the sight in his left eye, along with.... Days a week.. & # x27 ; nightclub fire, it incinerated her hair,. 8,800 to 222 claimants after the fire did not meet the definition of a man who and. 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