It had to be two minutes tops before the whole place was black smoke. [104] The legislation would create a tax incentive for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems. I couldn't play an instrument. He was the. For more information on your department or district joining the SAVE program click here or contact the California Fire Foundation at save@cpf.org or (916) 641-1707. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. 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.. Michael Derderian: I don't know about that. Nine months after the fire, the club's owners, brothers Jeff and Michael Derderian, along with Daniel Biechele, the band's tour manager, were each charged with 200 counts of involuntary. 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. 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 fire started shortly after Great White began performing their opening number, "Desert Moon". His fiance, Tina Ayer, died at 33 in the fire, CBS Boston reported. And I never expected it to take off as fast as it did. Station fire, 15 years later: Survivors tell their stories Witnesses of the nearly mile-wide tornado recount how they managed to survive. The Guest List: Documentary about The Station nightclub fire will I've been after this bike for over 4 years and I finally got the call! I have to find him. They were told to take it down. As it turns out, the foam they used was highly flammable. [5] Local bands that had played at the Station prior to the fire had used pyrotechnics during their concerts without incident, including a Kiss tribute band that had set off fireballs during their show in August 2002. 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. ", "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. Since The Station fire, many states have adopted stricter fire prevention codes. Sparks from the gerbs ignited the insulation foam, and flames were visible on the wall above the stage within nine seconds of their ignition. [2] The three were each charged with 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter with criminal negligence and 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in violation of a misdemeanor. 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. Dan McKee stopped by the memorial on the 20th anniversary of the fire Monday. Jody King: They blamed three. The state of Rhode Island is small," says author Scott James. NFPA on LinkedIn: Station Nightclub Fire Survivor Returns to the Scene [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. It was there, she said, that she found the best therapists: others who had been in the fire. That specific. Taking her students to the memorial park and telling them what it means were ways of building that memory, she said. The brothers, however, find that hard to believe considering the foam covered the walls, ceiling and even the inward swinging door he cited as a violation. / CBS News. And then, ever so slowly, he learned to walk again. 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. So, I actually got a really good sense of the layout of the venue.". Eighteen years later, there was no consensus among survivors when it comes to blame. Last year, he was charged with striking a woman for whom he was a caretaker. Linda Saran: Most of the crowd thought it was part of the show and didn't move. Remembering the Station Nightclub Fire - ICC In 2003, 100 people died and over 200 were injured at a rock concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The tragedy, she said, heightened her appreciation of the life she was allowed, for whatever reason, to continue. 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. (crying) So I can't expect anybody else to. As of September 2008, at least $115 million in settlement agreements had been paid, or offered, to the victims or their families by various defendants. [78], On the twentieth anniversary of the fire on February 20, 2023, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee ordered flags in Rhode Island lowered to half-staff for the day and the Rhode Island State House to be illuminated in memory of the 100 victims. Like you feel that kinship that, you know, "God, I really hope this guy makes it." Station nightclub fire survivor tells burn victims love can happen amid scars, fears: Joe Kinan has had more than 120 surgeries, not the least of which was a hand transplant. [49] The tour started five months after the fire, and each concert began with a prayer for survivors and families. A true hero would have gone for it, Vanner said. So that was huge.. It fuels you. Jim Axelrod: When you come to, you're in a hospital room. 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.". You know people didn't react instantly. [14] In the aftermath of the fire, Great White and the owners of the Station disputed whether the band were allowed to use the pyrotechnic display during their concert. Scott James: The fire alarm you hear it kick in. She spoke with the Globe about Jefferey and Michael Derderian, the . And then on one side, I noticed it come over the top, and that's when I said, "I have to leave." When Laroque testified before the grand jury he claimed he never saw the foam. In September 2008, The Jack Russell Tour Group Inc. offered $1 million in a settlement to survivors and victims' relatives. 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. Jim Axelrod: The brothers say," wait a minute, we ordered sound foam. "Taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way," she says. there are other people who should be responsible. The loss is still fresh for her cousins, she said, even 15 years later. 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. I try to say it in the lightest way possible, she said. Vanner spoke about how his life derailed after 11:07 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2003. 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. And if we could change it, we would. Jim Axelrod: And then it just got engulfed in flames? Its just one of those things thats ingrained in you.. if he had done that, then he would have obviously have said to us . it became very, very hard to breathe. And outside I went. And so, when the fire inspector came in and said that that door had to come down the door, the door did come down. Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. The Station nightclub fire would become one of the deadliest fires in a club in U.S. history. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. Biechele was released from prison in 2008 after some families of the victims expressed their support for his parole. 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. [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". Phil Barr: I loved it. 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. Michael Derderian: Take this stuff down. [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. undisputable. A decade ago, a survivor . Survivors of The Station nightclub fire struggle with guilt 20 years Its irrelevant.. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch opened an investigation and convened a grand jury to determine if anyone should face criminal charges. In the aftermath, Vanner battled an addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, which he used to cope but which cost him jobs and his drivers license. these contracts are pretty specific. Cassidy was questioned by Customs and Border Protection in 2016, three sources familiar with the probe . I did not lead them out, he said dismissively. Jeff Derderian: I don't know. [29] The initial death toll was 96 people; Four more individuals died in the hospital in the weeks following, bringing the toll to 100. Michael Derderian: Correct. The brothers have since learned that the fire marshal should have tested the foam on the wall. But their plans for the future would suddenly change. Todd King, a founder of The Station Family Fund, said today the fund . Russell 's bandmate Ty Longley (guitar) was one of the people who perished in The Station blaze, which became the fourth deadliest fire in U.S. history. Scott James: It should not have happened. Michael Derderian: Jeffrey was responsible for all the marketing activities. Dont take life for granted and I miss her every day She was my world and now shes my angel.. [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. The shooting was first reported at 12:04 a.m. in the 300 block of S. 1st . I just don't find him as guilty of anything. The Feb. 20, 2003. [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]. Great White was part of the lawsuit. I had no control over my muscles. Out of it. 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. The TIAs also required additional crowd manager personnel, among other things. It didn't have a lock on it. Linda Saran and Phil Barr, badly injured, were transported to a local hospital. And it was ugly. Michael Derderian: That is correct. When fireworks ignited the soundproofing foam on the stage wall, he ran for a fire extinguisher. 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.". The answer is no. 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. He said if there's. 48 Hours show makes no mention of Station nightclub's overcrowding Jeff Derderian: Why is it OK that the fire marshal is allowed to miss something or make a mistake and what he did was just an oops, but what we did was criminal? He wrote: "This is a company that is well aware of the dangers of polyurethane foam. So many ways this could have been avoided, Matthew Hoffman, an East Greenwich, R.I. resident, told WPRI. There is one consistent thing I have learned after 18 years in the Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. [48] Some victims' families criticized the 48 Hours segment and the Derderians' involvement. On May 10, 2006, State Prosecutor Randall White asked that Biechele be sentenced to ten years in prison, the maximum allowed under the plea bargain, citing the massive loss of life in the fire and the need to send a message. Scott James: I decided I would start asking some questions. But, you know, they have this following to this day . Their story starts three years before the fire. The brothers have always maintained that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics. Jeff Derderian: We tried to get as far as we could. And he says you can. That's how thick the smoke was. The Derderians bought the club as an investment. We're running out of time." Linda Saran still places much of it on the Derderian brothers. Purchase and sale had been signed. Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock Barr says when he came to, he felt excruciating pain near the base of his spine and burning on his face. She had a cellphone that was working and handed it off to anyone who needed to call home and let their family know they were safe. some bleeding I could notice in my throat. [12] Kendall, who had co-founded the band with Russell in 1977, had rejoined Russell's version of the group in 2002. Bruce Cain also lost someone who he was prepared to spend the rest of his life with. 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]. 2021, shooting at a San Jose rail station. I'm going to do this. The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. Vanner doesnt know when the night will be over. [85] By April 2016, $1.65 million of the $2 million fundraising goal had been achieved and construction of the Station Fire Memorial Park had commenced. Jim Axelrod: Do you feel, "Oh my goodness, we're in trouble?". However, on September 21, 2006, Judge Darigan announced that the brothers had changed their pleas from "not guilty" to "no contest," thereby avoiding a trial. And yet, at the point in time, I don't think I knew his name. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. [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. He don't know. He tells her he wishes that hed tried to extinguish the fire. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. And I sent it to her and the best compliment I ever got was oh, his hairs fantastic.. my dad was in the room. [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. Patrick Lynch: Did he do his job perfectly? Survivors of nightclub fire that killed 100 share stories - FireRescue1 Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. [83], In June 2003, the Station Fire Memorial Foundation (SFMF) was formed with the purpose of purchasing the property, to build and maintain a memorial. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who is featured in a REELZ documentary about the Warwick, Rhode Island Station nightclub fire, which killed some 100 attendees of a Great White concert in 2003, As Great White started their first song, their tour manager Daniel Biechele set off four large fireworks called gerbs. In February 2008, Providence television station. So, it was very quickly they were in the circle of people we should look at. [49] In 2013, Kendall told The Providence Journal that he maintained amicable contact with some survivors, victims' families, and the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. 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. For years, he worked in Boston for Channel 7. [2] The club was cited for nine minor code violations during the first inspection in November 2002, but was not cited for the flammable polyurethane foam the venue used for soundproofing, which was against code. That was his gift. An off-duty police officer standing outside had heard her kicking at the window. [9] Two gerbs were at 45-degree angles, with the middle two pointing straight up. 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. [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. [40][37] Derderian resigned from WPRI on June 30. It did not. One near the bar. Regardless, Lynch points out the Derderians still chose to take a plea deal instead of going to trial. DEE SNIDER Defends GREAT WHITE Over Deadly Concert Fire: 'They Would 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.. 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. 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. During a concert by the rock band Great White, a pyrotechnic display ignited flammable acoustic foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. But 15 years later, she said, its time for her to move out of its shadow. Produced by Betsy Shuller and Chris Young Ritzen. But many, including the brothers, feel strongly Laroque should also have been charged. These days, she uses her job as a teacher at John F. Deering Middle School to make it so those who didnt suffer so directly will remember it too. Jody King: He was gregarious. Linda Saran: Second- and-third-degree burns, over 34 percent of my body from the heat. Linda Saran: I could have missed it all. I never imagined that anyone ever would be. Jeff Derderian: You know a day doesn't go by that we don't think about it in some way, shape or form. 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. [tears up] And the roof and just everything just fast, too fast. And I stood up. then as it heals, the scarring tightens up. That was the most important thing, they didnt freak.. Like, "get away from the building." Gina Russo, a survivor of The Station nightclub fire. Michael Derderian: Zero. The Station was owned by brothers Michael and Jeff Derderian. [82] The stop was removed from the game by developer Niantic later that month. 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. Linda Saran: I think a lot of people miss out on the moments. I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. "Why me?" 20 years later, Station nightclub fire survivors talk guilt [4] In 1985, it was converted to a pub, which closed sometime in the late 1980s, and a nightclub was opened in its place in 1991. The tour manager for the rock band Great White pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison. Jeff Derderian: That door was meant to block the noise from the neighbors. And a quarter of those people didn't get to go home ever," says survivor Linda Saran, who was severely burned in the fire at The Station nightclub. S01:E03 - Station Nightclub Fire. JACK RUSSELL [news interview]: Rock and Roll is supposed to be fun, not deadly you know. And that's when the crowd realizes this is a real danger and we have to get out of here. "[91], Two years to the day after the fire, band members Russell and Kendall, along with Great White's attorney, Ed McPherson, appeared on CNN's Larry King Live with three survivors of the fire and the father of Longley, to discuss how their lives had changed since the incident. On the 19th Anniversary of The Station Nightclub Fire, "America'S Jody King: We never knew the whole story because the trial never happened, so everything really never came out. But Jeff Derderian, who was helping out at the bar, says he and an employee tried to get to the stage with a fire extinguisher. I couldn't get up. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), R.I. State House homeless encampment removed after legal fight, After the 80th anniversary of the tragic fire, a Cocoanut Grove memorial is coming to Boston, This affordable airline says it will bring at least 20 routes to an R.I. airport.