[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. Within six minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames. "There really weren't that many people around early in the night. It was there, she said, that she found the best therapists: others who had been in the fire. He threw my wife, my cousin, my uncle, my sister out a window." I could have missed that My friends that didn't survive that night have missed that. One near the bar. It's not just about hitting the next goal but doing something really meaningful. People say they just feel peaceful, Russo told the Globe. On February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in United States history occurred in The Station nightclub. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A California woman who had been injured in an accident and hadnt left her house in five years wrote her, she said. [80], A permanent memorial at the site of the fire has been erected and named the Station Fire Memorial Park. 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 looked like a ladder of those black jelly bracelets from the 80s hanging in rings around my wrists. [2], Prior to the fire, the Station often hosted concerts by 1980s hard rock groups and tribute bands. [78] The event raised at least $25,000 in donations for the Station Family Fund, and was broadcast in March by VH1 and VH1 Classic. The fire was now out of control; it had spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling intended to dampen sound. The fire started shortly after Great White began performing their opening number, "Desert Moon". It was liquid fire. The fire quickly spread over the dance floor, along the ceiling. [97] Russell raised about $180 from the concert, but the Memorial Foundation refused the donation, a decision supported by Kendall. that door being up, there is no question that that increased the likelihood that many, many more would perish. That was the most important thing, they didnt freak.. [101], The Derderian brothers conducted their first television interview about the fire in 2021 for 48 Hours. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch opened an investigation and convened a grand jury to determine if anyone should face criminal charges. That effort raised about $10,000 over seven years to help pay for the construction of the memorial park. It's like a surge of bodies. CBS Boston Rhode Island Gov. He was granted parole and then released after 22 months. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. And yet, at the point in time, I don't think I knew his name. Phil Barr: It was getting harder and harder to breathe I could feel tightness and constriction in my chest. It would have been my legacy, Vanner said. [48] The grand jury also did not return charges against Russell. Susan Nicol. Dont take life for granted and I miss her every day She was my world and now shes my angel.. Since he co-owned The Station nightclub with his brother Michael Derderian, Jeff suggested it as a venue for generic nightclub footage. A decade ago, a survivor . Her father wont visit the memorial, and it took her years to be able to drive down Cowesett Avenue, she said. Season 1. Barr was now outside, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. But many, including the brothers, feel strongly Laroque should also have been charged. 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. Access remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20. In the aftermath, West Warwick, Rhode Island TV news reporter Jeff Derderian wanted to run a story on nightclub safety. The answer is no. Michael Derderian: But that door became impassable almost within seconds because clearly there's foam that's burning at 800 or 1,500 degrees. Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. I'll be right back." 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. She spoke with the Globe about Jefferey and Michael Derderian, the . It was liquid fire," says former Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who investigated the disaster. Gina Russo of Cranston, R.I. is a survivor of the Station nightclub fire and president of The Station Fire Memorial Foundation. And I stood up. 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. Jim Axelrod: Did the contract specify the use of pyrotechnics? Kat Teurfs is the associate producer. [9] Jeffrey Derderian said the door was also installed due to noise, and they had removed it as asked, but sometimes re-installed it if the venue was going to be loud that night, and it was used by the band to escape the building during the fire. But with last years 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. 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 would become one of the deadliest fires in a club in U.S. history. So, it was not a great decision to use these inside a nightclub that only has 12-foot ceilings. Del Sesto said her life is told in three chapters now. At the time of The Station fire, older clubs in Rhode Island weren't required to install sprinklers. I noticed when the pyro stopped, the flame had kept going on both sides. I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anybody else to. And people just stood there. 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 Bitten, Twice Shy. Biechele was released from prison in 2008 after some families of the victims expressed their support for his parole. Flames can be seen on the back wall. [13], In February 2003, Great White was on an eighteen date concert tour, and they had been using a pyrotechnic display during their performances that some club owners had denied them permission to use, citing safety concerns. This article was originally published on Oct. 22, 2021. Everyone carries baggage and I think at some point you figure out how to pack it and carry it with you, she said. local Four nonstop. And I was paying staff pricing for beer because I knew a guy. 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. these contracts are pretty specific. [95][49], Neither version of Great White performed in any of the six New England states for over a decade following the fire. [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. [61] Michael Derderian received fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probationthe same sentence as Biechele. [48] Larocque had set various capacities for the Station in the years prior to the fire based on whether pool tables and other items could be moved. "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. In the end, the survivors and victims' families settled for a total of $176 million. He was worried about his brother Tracy who worked there as a bouncer. Michael Derderian: Jeffrey was responsible for all the marketing activities. I went over, put my hands against the glass, and I started kicking at that window and it wouldn't break. (WJAR) WEST WARWICK . The first time I went to counseling, I made the therapist cry, Del Sesto said. Published on August 10, 2017 09:05 AM. He got a tire iron from his car, smashed the glass, and started pulling people out. And if we could change it, we would. once you could no longer see, it was total pandemonium. Jeff Derderian, seated right, says, "You know a day doesn't go by that we don't think about it in some way, shape or form.". [18][19] Gonsalves was the host of the WHJY program The Metal Zone, at the time the longest-running heavy metal radio program in the United States. The loss is still fresh for her cousins, she said, even 15 years later. . 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. And outside I went. some bleeding I could notice in my throat. Jason Hahn. He trusted the owners. 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. I look at my scars every day. [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. The Station Nightclub Fire: Who's Responsible? It seems like yesterday We were going to get married in June and she passed away in February, Cain told CBS. 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. WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- Five years . They were friends. But I dont want it to define the rest of my life. Based upon its work, Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs) were issued for the national standard "Life Safety Code" (NFPA 101), in July 2003. it was happening so fast, fast, fast, fast. I couldn't hear noise. One near the bar. my dad was in the room. 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. Jody King: When he walked into a room, if there wasn't a smile he'd start balancing stuff to get you uplifted and smiling. The blaze began when the band Jack Russell's Great White took the stage and their tour manager set off four large fireworks. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. Obviously the nightclub was not in compliance, and there never should have been pyrotechnics, but there's no evidence the bouncers blocked people from . She got out.
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