station nightclub fire survivors list

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. The fire started shortly after Great White began performing their opening number, "Desert Moon". [100], Gonsalves was inducted into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame in 2013. 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. Jim Axelrod: To people who feel that the two of you have never said we own this what do you say? Phil Barr: I loved it. And that's when the crowd realizes this is a real danger and we have to get out of here. Jody King says his brother enjoyed working for the Derderians. [25] Fire departments in Warwick, Coventry, and Cranston rendered mutual aid to the fire site. She sees telling the story of the Station fire as a way of preventing others from going through the same thing. 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. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. [28], Of the 462 people in the building for the concert, 100 were killed, 230 were injured, and 132 escaped uninjured. Obviously the nightclub was not in compliance, and there never should have been pyrotechnics, but there's no evidence the bouncers blocked people from . He sees a court-ordered therapist, who has told him he has depression and PTSD. Jeff called his brother Michael who was in Florida. To the right is this much larger space in front of a stage. Greatly., 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 its one of those things. But I made a choice. They would want to talk, she said, and they wouldnt freak. And then on one side, I noticed it come over the top, and that's when I said, "I have to leave." The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., was on fire . According to Bostonherald.com, a memorial fund that raises money for survivors of The Station nightclub fire received at least $25,000 in donations after a benefit concert aired on television, organizers said today.. The Station Fire: 100 victims in photos The Station Fire: 100 victims in photos 98 PHOTOS More Stories Has fire prevention in RI improved since The Station fire? [49] The tour started five months after the fire, and each concert began with a prayer for survivors and families. That's what the code says. Jeff Derderian: I don't know. Jack Russell declined "48 Hours"' request for an interview. There had to be that period for me. The Station Nightclub Fire: Revisiting the Lessons 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. [60], Following Biechele's trial, The Station's owners, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, were scheduled to receive separate trials. [9] The lack of usable exits were also a factor, as was the inward door that Larocque had found and asked to be removed. At 55, he lives with his parents and keeps to himself. The Guest List is based in part on John Barylick's narrative non-fiction work, killer show, the station nightclub fire, America's deadliest rock concert. I couldn't play an instrument. Station Nightclub Tragedy Revisited Five Years Later | Firehouse You should be proud." Fifteen years from now, she hopes, her students will go by the park, and have a memory, a connection, with the 100 people whose names and faces are etched into black granite squares arrayed throughout the park. Michael Derderian: That is correct. Nine friends didnt. 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. Susan Nicol. The TIAs also required additional crowd manager personnel, among other things. A California woman who had been injured in an accident and hadnt left her house in five years wrote her, she said. I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. Tweet. 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. Michael Derderian: And I'm saying to him "Did everybody get out Did anyone die?" They said a critical piece of evidence was never presented to the grand jury. 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. He was granted parole and then released after 22 months. I look at my scars every day. 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. Since 2003, the approach of the anniversary of the Station fire, where she and her twin sister, Cara Ann, got out unhurt while 100 others died and about 200 more were injured, was four weeks of dread. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: We never do anything without asking permission first. Jim Axelrod: I want to ask you about Phil Barr. I had the fire extinguisher in my hand, Vanner said. It was liquid fire," says former Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who investigated the disaster. These TIAs were subsequently incorporated into the 2006 edition of NFPA 101, along with additional exit requirements for new nightclub occupancies. The February 25 concert at the Dunkin' Donuts Center was broadcast Sunday night on VH1 and VH1 Classic. Today she is president of the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, the group that oversaw the construction of the memorial park. He don't know. 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. once you could no longer see, it was total pandemonium. Like you feel that kinship that, you know, "God, I really hope this guy makes it." And I hear [moves her arms to the side with a whoosh] and out Deb went. Many of the families believed that the punishment was just; others had hoped for a more severe sentence. So, I actually got a really good sense of the layout of the venue. Scott James: It smelled like spilled beer and stale cigarettes and everything was just a little bit frayed at the edge. [61] Michael Derderian received fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probationthe same sentence as Biechele. It was really everything to me at that time. "It's hard to describe the level of agony. "Why me?" 20 years later, Station nightclub fire survivors talk guilt Petrarca was sitting near the bar that night in 2003, about five feet from a door, when the fire broke out. [89] The band raised $185,000 for the Station Family Fund during the tour. PATRICK LYNCH [press conference]: We have an investigation on going and we need help, we need answers and I'm trying to get them. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. In September 2008, The Jack Russell Tour Group Inc. offered $1 million in a settlement to survivors and victims' relatives. Jody King: They blamed three. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. My friends were dead, my other friends are severely injured, I no longer look like myself. Now, Russo leads the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, which oversees a memorial that stands where the nightclub once went up in flames, The Boston Globe reported. [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. The fire was now out of control; it had spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling intended to dampen sound. Survivors of The Station nightclub fire struggle with guilt 20 years he was very kind about it, but he said, "I don't ever see you competitively swimming again." And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. He had an unlikely friend rooting for him. It was late on Feb. 20, 2003, when the cold winter night erupted in flames. She spoke with the Globe about Jefferey and Michael Derderian, the . 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. Jim Axelrod: Does this mean you feel a sense of responsibility? Firefighters responded within five minutes, and the building was fully engulfed within six minutes, according to a timeline assembled by WPRI. Jeff Derderian: We tried to get as far as we could. John Barylick is an attorney who represented victims in numerous wrongful death and personal injury cases arising from the Station nightclub fire. [21] The fire spread throughout the building and was completely engulfed within six minutes of the pyrotechnic ignition. [94] Kendall's version of Great White was to perform at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut alongside Stryper and Steven Adler on March 25, 2023, but the venue indefinitely postponed the concert on March 2, citing its proximity to the twentieth anniversary of the fire. Michael Derderian also spoke via phone to an investigator. ", "20 years later, the effects of the Station nightclub fire still linger - The Boston Globe", "The Great White Nightclub Fire: Ten Years Later", "In West Warwick firefighters' hearts, the disaster isn't over", "How a West Warwick restaurant became a triage center for burn victims", "20th anniversary of New England nightclub fire that killed 100", "State supreme court to review penalty for employee deaths in R.I. fire - UPI.com", "Workers comp. As a human being how do you not feel some sort of responsibility for that ? Patrick Lynch: I don't think anybody in anything that they did wanted anybody to die that night or get injured. In my head, I didnt even belong with them because I walked out without a scratch.. The fire left her with burns over 40 percent of her body, it incinerated her hair. Linda Saran: I think a lot of people miss out on the moments. As numerous violations of existing codes contributed to the severity of the fire, there was immediate effort to strengthen fire code protections. He said if there's. WEST WARWICK, R.I. The owners of The Station nightclub say their decision to finally speak publicly about the deadly fire there nearly . The Station Nightclub Fire: A Horrific First-Person View of the 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. Del Sesto said her life is told in three chapters now. Marc Goldbaum is the development producer. REELZ today announced the network's original documentary America's Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List premieres February 20th at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT presenting the deeply personal stories of lives forever altered by the tragic Station nightclub fire that left 100 people dead, more than 200 injured and devastated the tight-knit community of West Warwick, Rhode Island. In Memoriam: Victims of the Station Nightclub Fire - WPRI.com Doreen Schechter and Gary Winter are the editors. 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. Remembering the Station Nightclub Fire - ICC Twisted Sister's Dee Snider Honors 2003 Station Nightclub Fire Victims [9] Michael Derderian told 48 Hours that it was "Undisputable" that the building's use of flammable packing foam instead of flame retardant sound foam was the cause of the fire's spread, but the brothers claimed that they had ordered sound foam and had received the packing foam instead. Great White's tour manager Daniel Biechele also faced the same charges. Jim Axelrod: Describe The Station nightclub for me. [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. 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. When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. He is now seven years sober from cocaine, although alcohol is a more pestering problem, he says. It was that fast. San Jose shooting suspect prepared 'to take as many lives as he [8], Great White had two opening acts for the February 20 concert: Trip, a group from Vancouver, Washington, and Fathead, a local Rhode Island band. Even if he couldnt. "[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. As Great White started their first song, their tour manager Daniel Biechele set off four large fireworks called gerbs. Pyrotechnics ignited foam insulation that lined the walls and ceiling around the stage, the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison. And I was responsible for the day to day. Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock As we mark 20 years since that night, here are those who. Because so many people that were there don't have that opportunity. Dan McKee stopped by the memorial on the 20th anniversary of the fire Monday. But never once do they say, "we screwed up." fine against Station Nightclub owners upheld", "Station nightclub fire survivor tells how she's moved on in new book", "The Station fire took emotional toll on survivors, study finds", "Tentative $30 million deal in R. I. nightclub fire", "TV station that assigned reporter to cover his own nightclub raises ethical issue", "Station Video Spurs Lawsuit - Pollstar News", "Nightclub owner resigns from WPRI television", "Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire: Appendices (NIST NCSTAR 2), Volume 2", "Grand Jury Convened to Probe Deadly R.I.