That's how thick the smoke was. It was there, she said, that she found the best therapists: others who had been in the fire. [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. This trial was scheduled to start May 1, 2006, but Biechele, against his lawyers' advice,[52] pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter on February 7, 2006, in what he said was an effort to "bring peace, I want this to be over with."[52]. [93] After a 2013 legal settlement between the two parties, Kendall's band retained the Great White name, while Russell's band was allowed to use the name Jack Russell's Great White. And then, ever so slowly, he learned to walk again. 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. [84] In September 2012, the owner of the land, Ray Villanova, donated the site to the SFMF. undisputable. Barr was now outside, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. Todd King, a founder of The Station Family Fund, said today the fund . that door being up, there is no question that that increased the likelihood that many, many more would perish. Nine friends didnt. I was asked to work the merch table for the band, so I was getting 40 bucks and two T-shirts. Jody King says his brother enjoyed working for the Derderians. Jim Axelrod: Does this mean you feel a sense of responsibility? Two decades after 100 people were killed in the West Warwick, R.I. fire, those affected by the incident are reflecting on that tragic night. Biechele and Michael Derderian went to prison. WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- Five years . The brothers say there was evidence that the grand jury never heard. S01:E02 - Joplin Tornado. Phil Barr: Being a survivor of The Station nightclub fire is a piece of who I am. That's what the code says. it was also on fire. The night of the fire, hundreds of people gathered at The Station to see the band Great White. Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for Great White who had ignited the pyrotechnics, plead guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2006 and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison with four to serve. I'm going to do this. [61] Michael Derderian received fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probationthe same sentence as Biechele. She wrote a book, meets with burn victims, talks to fire departments and fire safety groups across the country. S01:E03 - Station Nightclub Fire. Gina Russo, a survivor of The Station nightclub fire. So many ways this could have been avoided, Matthew Hoffman, an East Greenwich, R.I. resident, told WPRI. I had the fire extinguisher in my hand, Vanner said. Why had the fire spread so quickly? Absolutely not. Like Barr, Linda Saran had also spent three weeks in a medically induced coma. And that song reminds us of that night. Everybody just kind of turned. So, I said to Deb, "stay here. [89] The band raised $185,000 for the Station Family Fund during the tour. [51], Victims' families have also cited overcrowding in the venue as a cause for the causalities during the fire. For the first few years she shunned memorial ceremonies but eventually was convinced to go. Linda Saran: My hospital roommate, he and I took turns driving the respiratory therapist crazy in some ways it's almost like being in war together. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter, and Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest. Everyone carries baggage and I think at some point you figure out how to pack it and carry it with you, she said. 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. The following day the brothers responded at a press conference: JEFF DERDERIAN: No permission was ever requested by the band or any of its agents to use pyrotechnics at The Station, and no permission was ever given. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Biechele. And I took a good look and I said, "Oh, st, I'm burned.". He was the. "[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. Patrick Lynch: I don't think anybody in anything that they did wanted anybody to die that night or get injured. There was no one coming out the back door anymore. But he didn't know what. And 18 years after the fire, the brothers say they want to set the record straight and reveal new information. 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. Patrick Lynch: Did he do his job perfectly? And why wasn't the foam company charged? At first, there was no panic. [32] The fine was not resolved until 2013, ten years after the fire, when it was upheld by a judge. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Almost immediately the finger pointing started. The Feb. 20, 2003. The roof was caving in, walls were caving in, body after body in front of me. Seconds later, flames appeared on the back wall. It would have been my legacy, Vanner said. [2] The final tally by The Providence Journal of people inside the Station during the fire totaled 462. Michael Derderian: No. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: Rock and Roll is supposed to be fun, not deadly you know. Within six minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames. Barr, who was in his junior year, had dreams of a career on Wall Street and swam competitively for his college swim team. It seems like yesterday We were going to get married in June and she passed away in February, Cain told CBS. It had to end, for me and it ended in the most beautiful way.. It just so happens that we're . And I knew the window was to my left. He turned back to see the crowd bottle-necked at the stage. That exit door would soon be engulfed in flames. The second was the time from that night until the dedication of the memorial last spring. Jim Axelrod: Mr. Warner's fax wasn't presented to the grand jury, correct? 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. Hundreds of people ran to the only exit many of them knew the way they came in. I had no control over my muscles. That is the furthest exit away from the stage But it's a relatively straight line. 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. [11] For the 2003 tour, the band was billed as "Jack Russell's Great White". 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. Lynch also points out that the exits were a safety issue. (crying) So I can't expect anybody else to. And I said my hands won't work. There was nothing heroic about what I did.. Jeff Derderian: We tried to get as far as we could. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to "take some time away" from the team after allegedly brandishing a gun in a club, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case. 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. The loss is still fresh for her cousins, she said, even 15 years later. "[58], Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. Doreen Schechter and Gary Winter are the editors. He wasnt charged with a crime, but his thoughts punish him. [80], A permanent memorial at the site of the fire has been erected and named the Station Fire Memorial Park. "I literally baked alive," says Linda Barr. " 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. Well, I guess once we all started to turn toward the door, and we got bottle-necked into the front door, people just kept pushing, and eventually everyone popped out of the door, including myself. [86][87] The memorial dedication ceremony took place on May 21, 2017. Today, we mourn the 100 lives lost in the Station nightclub fire and the hundreds more whose lives will never be the same. Share. Firefighters responded within five minutes, and the building was fully engulfed within six minutes, according to a timeline assembled by WPRI. Linda Saran and Phil Barr, badly injured, were transported to a local hospital. Linda Saran: They have said they were sorry. [11] Although the band was officially known as Jack Russell's Great White at the time, and their tour was initially named after Russell's 2002 solo album For You, they were billed by the Station as simply Great White. Michael Derderian: We say that they we're sorry for all of it. In the aftermath, West Warwick, Rhode Island TV news reporter Jeff Derderian wanted to run a story on nightclub safety. my dad was in the room. Mon, February 20th 2023, 8:29 PM PST. you could not see your hand in front of your face. Within weeks, the National Fire Protection Association committee met to regulate code for "assembly occupancies." The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices that produce a controlled spray of sparks. MICHAEL DERDERIAN [at sentencing hearing]: There is so much pain and heartache that happened on our doorstep. And I was responsible for the day to day. Michael Derderian: Remember, I'm still in Florida. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: We never do anything without asking permission first. ", "We are now at 65, and that may be higher ", Jeff Derderian: "Can you come in? There was a table in the way at the door, and I pulled that out just to get it out of the way so people could get out easier. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. "48 Hours" is not showing any of that footage. View Image Gallery. Even if he died trying. I did not lead them out, he said dismissively. So, to the people who think we don't own it I'm telling you, we DO own it ok? And yet, at the point in time, I don't think I knew his name. I'll be right back." 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. Michael Derderian: Zero. Phil Barr: and I felt the door and I just heaved my shoulder into it. Cold air washing over me. Jeff Derderian: None of the inspections and then follow-up inspections. Barr says when he came to, he felt excruciating pain near the base of his spine and burning on his face. So, before I knew it, this finger was contractured down in this position and the rest of them were all bent backwards because the skin had tightened up.". Taking her students to the memorial park and telling them what it means were ways of building that memory, she said. Jim Axelrod: The brothers say," wait a minute, we ordered sound foam. Jody King kneels at his brother Tracy's memorial. [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]. [21] Thick smoke began to fill the station one minute after the ignition and the crowd began to escape the building. The Derderians bought the club as an investment. And people stood and watched it, and some people backed off. I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. "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. That night, he allowed a cameraman to shoot footage inside the club for an upcoming story about safety in public venues. An off-duty police officer standing outside had heard her kicking at the window. Scott James: It was a typical kind of roadside dive. The shooting was first reported at 12:04 a.m. in the 300 block of S. 1st . [36] Butler was there for a planned piece on nightclub safety being reported by Jeffrey A. Derderian, a WPRI news reporter who was also a part-owner of The Station. He had failed to get a license for the pyrotechnics from the State of Rhode Island and permits from the local fire department. [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]. Michael Derderian: Correct. Michael Derderian: The field test is crystal clear. As it turns out, the foam they used was highly flammable. The third started that day. I went back around the front again, and that's when you saw people stacked on top of each other, trying to get out of the front door. Things that bring back memories of that night we try to stay away from. A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch. Patrick Lynch: The type of foam was equal to gallons of gasoline. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. In the end, the survivors and victims' families settled for a total of $176 million. And settled for $1 million. I can't speak Everything was, you know, sore and hoarse I picked up the pen in very weak, you know, kind of handwriting I wrote, "I hope to make progress every day.". I refused to accept that as the outcome. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. Michael spent 33 months in prison, while Jeff had to do 500 hours of community service. [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. That evening she had a girl's night out with a friend while her young daughter was at a sleepover. Jody King: "Anybody see Tracy?" Patrick Lynch: They are running the operation. She paused, her eyes tearing. American Foam Corporation, who sold the insulation to The Station nightclub, agreed in 2008 to pay $6.3 million to settle lawsuits relating to the fire. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. [tears up, shaking his head]. 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. [48] The grand jury also did not return charges against Russell. it became very, very hard to breathe. [56], The sentence drew mixed reactions in the courtroom. [21], By this time, the nightclub's fire alarm had activated, and although there were four possible exits, most people headed for the front door through which they had entered. This article was originally published on Oct. 22, 2021. [103], Inspired by the fire, the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act has been proposed United States Senate and House of Representatives since 2003. But then the door would go back up when it was going to be a loud night. Michael Derderian: They got this fax and it went on to describe the business practices of the foam company. The crime scene evidence that convicted Alex Murdaugh, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death. I went and laid down next to Deb and just waited to die. There's an exit near the stage. So, the only way to pick up a can of soda would be to do this [lifting both arms out parallel in front of her]. Tracy King liked to entertain people with his unique talent.
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