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It was liquid fire. In the days after the fire, victims' families and survivors faced a harsh new reality. Michael Derderian: He finds the deficiencies, you have to correct the deficiencies and then signs off so that you so you can get your liquor license that happened in 2000. Vanner has no excuses. He trusted in his friends. [43][45], An investigation of the fire by a Rhode Island state grand jury was started by then-Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch on February 26, 2003. [4] The nightclub was purchased by brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian in March 2000. I went and laid down next to Deb and just waited to die. CBS Boston Rhode Island Gov. In February 2006 three years after the station nightclub burned down many in Rhode Island were shocked to learn that instead of a trial, a plea deal had been reached with Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for the band Great White. [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. I did not lead them out, he said dismissively. The fire seemed to burn quickly, she added. Brandon Fravale, a survivor of The Station nightclub fire, speaks with NBC 10 on how he copes with survivor's guilt. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch opened an investigation and convened a grand jury to determine if anyone should face criminal charges. For years, he worked in Boston for Channel 7. This is the time to leave. They are speaking out about the fire for the first time. The company paid a hefty settlement and they weren't the only ones. Jim Axelrod: Do you feel, "Oh my goodness, we're in trouble?". [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. He was granted parole and then released after 22 months. Today she is president of the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, the group that oversaw the construction of the memorial park. / CBS News. That is the furthest exit away from the stage But it's a relatively straight line. They were friends. Club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian reached a settlement of $813,000 with survivors and victims' families in September 2008. The Station Nightclub Fire: Who's Responsible? 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. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. Jim Axelrod: When you come to, you're in a hospital room. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. Linda Saran: I think a lot of people miss out on the moments. And then, ever so slowly, he learned to walk again. [95] When Russell launched his version of the band in 2012, Kendall's group responded that Russell had no right to use the name. One guy did crawl out. [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]. Access remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20. Almost immediately the finger pointing started. Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. [102] It is left for each state or local jurisdiction to legally enact and enforce the current code changes. Scott James: They are what they call 15x15. It was there, she said, that she found the best therapists: others who had been in the fire. 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. And I hear [moves her arms to the side with a whoosh] and out Deb went. 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. [94] Russell's group made its first New England appearance in twelve years at a harvest festival in Mechanic Falls, Maine, in August 2015. But she refuses to live in the past. On February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in United States history occurred in The Station nightclub. Jim Axelrod: Who's responsible for that foam going up on the wall? [2], Prior to the fire, the Station often hosted concerts by 1980s hard rock groups and tribute bands. [2] Larocque later told the Rhode Island State Police that he had not spotted the polyurethane foam during the November 2002 inspection because he was upset after finding an illegal inward swinging door that he had previously asked to be removed from the building. Since I had been there earlier in the night, I knew that there was at least an exit in the back barroom. In September 2008, The Jack Russell Tour Group Inc. offered $1 million in a settlement to survivors and victims' relatives. Linda Saran: That's when you make a decision. once you could no longer see, it was total pandemonium. Tracy King worked at The Station as a bouncer. As the crowd bottlenecked at the clubs entrance, thick black smoke poured out of the building and over their heads. That's how thick the smoke was. Since The Station fire, many states have adopted stricter fire prevention codes. One near the bar. it was also on fire. [12] The rest of the lineup included guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire, bass guitarist Dave Felice, and drummer Eric Powers. Jim Axelrod: And then it just got engulfed in flames? these contracts are pretty specific. [32] In April 2003, The Derderians were fined $1.07 million for failing to carry workers' compensation insurance for their employees. He still remembers that deadly night. And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. VIEW ALL PHOTOS. Linda Saran and Phil Barr, badly injured, were transported to a local hospital. Within weeks, the National Fire Protection Association committee met to regulate code for "assembly occupancies." [92], Russell left Great White in 2010. Phil Barr: I remember the smoke descended really quickly. PATRICK LYNCH [news interview]: Certainly, there are people we are looking at, ultimately, we may target. But Saturday night, as . And I was paying staff pricing for beer because I knew a guy. Russo said that the memorial serves a valuable purpose today for those who knew victims. [57], On September 4, 2007, some families of the fire's victims expressed their support for Biechele's parole. Their story starts three years before the fire. So, to the people who think we don't own it I'm telling you, we DO own it ok? And if we could change it, we would. Phil Barr: You know just have a beer, see a concert. "[58], Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. She paused, her eyes tearing. [90] Russell planned to donate the proceeds to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, but the organization asked to be disassociated from the concert, citing the animosity still felt by many of the survivors and surviving families. She got out. I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. [21] Thick smoke began to fill the station one minute after the ignition and the crowd began to escape the building. Three days after the station fire, Jody King finally got the news that his brother Tracy's body had been found. I was asked to work the merch table for the band, so I was getting 40 bucks and two T-shirts. 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 screwed up." The brothers sent a fax to the foam company specifically asking for sound foam. And I stood up. Jeff Derderian: There's so many things that factor into the decision to do that. Like you feel that kinship that, you know, "God, I really hope this guy makes it." Absolutely not. They promoted the event. The state of Rhode Island is small," says author Scott James. But their plans for the future would suddenly change. I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anybody else to. For more information on your department or district joining the SAVE program click here or contact the California Fire Foundation at [email protected] or (916) 641-1707. And I said my hands won't work. And I took a good look and I said, "Oh, st, I'm burned.". The tragedy, she said, heightened her appreciation of the life she was allowed, for whatever reason, to continue. Flames were seen breaking through a part of the roof in less than five minutes. That was his gift. 2021, shooting at a San Jose rail station. "We went out on a Thursday night to listen to music, drink some beers and have a good time. The club was not equipped with sprinklers, according to the NIST, and crowding at the buildings main entrance made it difficult for people to escape. local Four nonstop. For the first few years she shunned memorial ceremonies but eventually was convinced to go. 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. Jody King: I spent the next five or six hours going back and forth in the parking lot talking to firemen, asking firemen, "can you please pull the sheets back for me? These are videos of prior performances taken inside the club. A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch. [2], Prior to being converted into a nightclub and concert venue, the Station building had been used as a restaurant and tavern. [17][16], The concert was emceed by Michael Gonsalves, a disk jockey for Providence rock radio station WHJY who was also known as "Doctor Metal". People recall the events of the fourth deadliest night club fire in U.S. history. [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. "48 Hours" has confirmed the fax wasnotpresented to the grand jury. 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. 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. I said to myself, we gotta go. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. Barr was now outside, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. Jeff Derderian: You know a day doesn't go by that we don't think about it in some way, shape or form. [77], A benefit memorial concert was held in February 2008 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence and featured performances by Tesla, Twisted Sister, Winger, Gretchen Wilson, and John Rich. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. [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. Jody King kneels at his brother Tracy's memorial. [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. 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. I found my soul was wanting.. He got a tire iron from his car, smashed the glass, and started pulling people out. So, I said to Deb, "stay here. The fire was now out of control; it had spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling intended to dampen sound. 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. In the end, the survivors and victims' families settled for a total of $176 million. Vanner wonders whether he could have saved them. Vanner spoke about how his life derailed after 11:07 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2003. The Station was a nightclub that was located on the corner of Cowesett Avenue and Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The story of three survivors that were trapped when the massive Cypress Street viaduct collapsed. When I turned around, some people were already trying to leave, and others were just sitting there going, "Yeah, that's great!" You walk on the property, and it doesnt feel tragic anymore. At 55, he lives with his parents and keeps to himself. (WJAR) WEST WARWICK . [21] The flames were initially thought to be part of the act; only as the fire reached the ceiling and smoke began to bank down did people realize it was uncontrolled. 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. Do you understand that anger? [37] The report had been inspired by the E2 nightclub stampede in Chicago that killed 21 people three days earlier. Also there that night was Bates College student Phil Barr, who was home for winter break. [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. Phil Barr: I loved it. Linda Saran: The foam was raining down and the flames are dripping from the ceiling. [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.