Linda Saran: The bar got quiet because people were dying literally and all you could hear was the roar of the fire and liquor bottles exploding. 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. For the first February in 15 years, Lisa Del Sesto said, she hasnt had the nightmares. [tears up] And the roof and just everything just fast, too fast. Today, we mourn the 100 lives lost in the Station nightclub fire and the hundreds more whose lives will never be the same. Jody King: "Anybody see Tracy?" The Derderians say that in the three years they owned the club, no one ever questioned the safety of the foam. Like Barr, Linda Saran had also spent three weeks in a medically induced coma. Linda Saran: When I first went out the window, I landed on the stairs. [22] Biechele used four gerbs that were set to spray sparks 15 feet (4.6m) for fifteen seconds. It was crowded, and it was getting bad. Barr says when he came to, he felt excruciating pain near the base of his spine and burning on his face. The flanking gerbs became the principal cause of the fire. Out of it. Michael Derderian: But that door became impassable almost within seconds because clearly there's foam that's burning at 800 or 1,500 degrees. The company paid a hefty settlement and they weren't the only ones. A staggering 100 lives were lost. It had to end, for me and it ended in the most beautiful way.. I never imagined that anyone ever would be. But he didn't know what. 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 manslaughter. This is solid gasoline. It didn't have a lock on it. Michael Derderian: And I'm saying to him "Did everybody get out Did anyone die?" Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter, and Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest. there are other people who should be responsible. He spent 33 months in prison, while Jeff had to do 500 hours of community service. Doreen Schechter and Gary Winter are the editors. Everyone carries baggage and I think at some point you figure out how to pack it and carry it with you, she said. He don't know. Club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian reached a settlement of $813,000 with survivors and victims' families in September 2008. He threw my wife, my cousin, my uncle, my sister out a window." The story of three survivors that were trapped when the massive Cypress Street viaduct collapsed. We're running out of time." 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. The brother's plea deal stated only one of them would go to prison. And, according to the brothers, it was one of the first exits used when the fire started. [9] The lack of usable exits were also a factor, as was the inward door that Larocque had found and asked to be removed. But it's fun. [84] In September 2012, the owner of the land, Ray Villanova, donated the site to the SFMF. Jim Axelrod: Did either of you know anything about running a nightclub? The Derderians say despite their love for the club the business had peaked, and they were in the process of selling it. I was asked to work the merch table for the band, so I was getting 40 bucks and two T-shirts. 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. To the right is this much larger space in front of a stage. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, did not. 2003 deadly fire at a rock concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA, Great White, Jack Russell, and Mark Kendall, National Institute of Standards and Technology, "The Station nightclub fire 10 years later: Healing continues as West Warwick, Rhode Island, takes next step in recovery", "The Station Fire: Timeline of a tragedy", "Station tragedy leads to tougher fire code", "Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire (NIST NCSTAR 2), Volume 1", "Beyond grief: Trying to make sense out of the Station tragedy", "Tragedy Catches Up to a Metal Band Past Its Prime", "Great White Fireworks Set Off a Controversy", "The Station nightclub fire: What happened and who's to blame for disaster that killed 100? [98], 41, a documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the fire, was screened at Rhode Island theaters in 2008. America's Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List explores the Station nightclub fire through gripping survivor accounts and family members and friends of victims who have memorialized their loss . [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. Linda Saran: That's when you make a decision. The Station was a nightclub that was located on the corner of Cowesett Avenue and Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island. [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. [60] As of 2013[update], Biechele lived in Florida with his wife and two children. [22] During the performance, pyrotechnics set off by tour manager Daniel Biechele ignited the flammable acoustic foam on both sides and the top center of the drummer's alcove at the back of the stage. Since the fire, I have wanted to tell the victims and their families how truly sorry I am for what happened that night and the part that I had in it. That is the furthest exit away from the stage But it's a relatively straight line. The biggest question was, why had the fire spread so quickly? [89] The band raised $185,000 for the Station Family Fund during the tour. [49] In 2013, Kendall told The Providence Journal that he maintained amicable contact with some survivors, victims' families, and the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. "We went out on a Thursday night to listen to music, drink some beers and have a good time. [40][37] Derderian resigned from WPRI on June 30. And he's like he don't know. At the time of the fire, he had just started a new job closer to home in Providence at the local CBS station. 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. As soon as the pyrotechnics stopped, the flame had started on the egg-crate backing behind the stage, and it just went up the ceiling. I'm so sorry for what I have done, and I don't want to cause anyone any more pain. [48] Some victims' families criticized the 48 Hours segment and the Derderians' involvement. if he had done that, then he would have obviously have said to us . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. [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. 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. [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. Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, the owners of the Station, pleaded no contest and avoided a trial: Michael received the same sentence as Biechele and was released from prison in 2009, while Jeffrey received a sentence of 500 hours of community service. And I never expected it to take off as fast as it did. [56], The sentence drew mixed reactions in the courtroom. For people to know you can go there now and look at this beautiful park and talk to your person thats what I love about it.. Bruce Cain also lost someone who he was prepared to spend the rest of his life with. PATRICK LYNCH [news interview]: Certainly, there are people we are looking at, ultimately, we may target. [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. 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. I thought how terrible it was that my daughter was going to grow up without her mom. Jim Axelrod: How do you know he went in nine times? The club was sold. First published on October 23, 2021 / 11:18 PM. The shooting was first reported at 12:04 a.m. in the 300 block of S. 1st . Those who were trapped inside The Station when the flames started knew they needed to get out fast. (WJAR) WEST WARWICK . About a month after the fire Barr went home from the hospital. Jim Axelrod: When you come to, you're in a hospital room. [1] The building that would become The Station was built in 1946 and was originally used as a gin mill. Jim Axelrod: Did you have enough time to form those complete thoughts? Three days after the station fire, Jody King finally got the news that his brother Tracy's body had been found. 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. Linda will forever wear the scars of that horrible night. 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. [24] The first West Warwick fire engine arrived at the scene at 11:13 p.m., followed by three other trucks shortly thereafter. Linda Saran: It's like a riptide. About 40 seconds after the song began, Great White stopped the show and all but one member of the band escaped through the stage door exit. He said if there's. Within weeks, the National Fire Protection Association committee met to regulate code for "assembly occupancies." Patrick Lynch: while troubling, concerning, maddening it doesn't mean that somebody should be charged or can be. That's how thick the smoke was. When I turned around, some people were already trying to leave, and others were just sitting there going, "Yeah, that's great!" Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, who was behind her, pushing her toward the door, perished. Like, "get away from the building." My friends were dead, my other friends are severely injured, I no longer look like myself. That's what the code says. Dan McKee stopped by the memorial on the 20th anniversary of the fire Monday. [97] Russell raised about $180 from the concert, but the Memorial Foundation refused the donation, a decision supported by Kendall. We haven't played it since then and probably never will. At the scene, Jody King was desperate for information about his brother, and began to fear the worst. And 18 years after the fire, the brothers say they want to set the record straight and reveal new information. Most people still just stood there. They all came so every single one of those hundred students held up a white rose and they represented one of the 100 [who died]. Patrick Lynch: The type of foam was equal to gallons of gasoline. you could not see your hand in front of your face. Dont take life for granted and I miss her every day She was my world and now shes my angel.. [4] No occupants were in the building during the 1972 fire, but the interior was significantly damaged. 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. The brothers have always maintained that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics. [99] 41 and a film based on O'Neill's play They Walk Among Us were aired by Rhode Island PBS in February 2013 in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the fire. 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.". You walk on the property, and it doesnt feel tragic anymore. And he says you can. It was already in contract. Jeffrey Derderian received 500 hours of community service. Michael Derderian: It would have been horrific to have people go through this. . So, it was not a great decision to use these inside a nightclub that only has 12-foot ceilings. [59], Biechele's parole and probation expired in March 2011. That exit door would soon be engulfed in flames. But when Warner was called before the grand jury, he was not asked about the allegations he made in the fax.