Jeff called his brother Michael who was in Florida. Today, we mourn the 100 lives lost in the Station nightclub fire and the hundreds more whose lives will never be the same. [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. It seems like yesterday We were going to get married in June and she passed away in February, Cain told CBS. "Why me?" 20 years later, Station nightclub fire survivors talk guilt Barr, who was in his junior year, had dreams of a career on Wall Street and swam competitively for his college swim team. The Station nightclub fire occurred on the evening of February 20, 2003 at The Station, a nightclub and hard rock music venue in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230. 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, Michael Derderian: But that door became impassable almost within seconds because clearly there's foam that's burning at 800 or 1,500 degrees. Nightclub Fire", "Judge Accepts Plea Deal in Rhode Island Fire", "Co-owner of R.I. club where 100 died to be released early", "Band to pay $1M in case over deadly club fire", "Great White offers $1M to settle fatal fire suits", "Derderians reach settlement in nightclub fire", "Governments offer $20 million in RI nightclub fire", "Packaging company settles in R.I. nightclub fire", "McLaughlin & Moran, Anheuser-Busch offer $21M settlement in Station fire case", "Home Depot Settles In R.I. Almost immediately the finger pointing started. Jody King: Nine different families have come up to me and said "thank you for having a great brother. Multiple injured after shooting at San Jose nightclub | KRON4 [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. And settled for $1 million. [57], On September 4, 2007, some families of the fire's victims expressed their support for Biechele's parole. I miss Tina a lot. Jim Axelrod: How do you know he went in nine times? SAVE | California Fire Foundation Michael Derderian: Take this stuff down. There was no one coming out the back door anymore. Produced by Betsy Shuller and Chris Young Ritzen. As Great White started their first song, their tour manager Daniel Biechele set off four large fireworks called gerbs. [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. Its irrelevant.. View Image Gallery. Everyone carries baggage and I think at some point you figure out how to pack it and carry it with you, she said. Unlike many of the patrons there, this was Barr's first time at the club. The fire was now out of control; it had spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling intended to dampen sound. In February 2006 three years after the station nightclub burned down many in Rhode Island were shocked to learn that instead of a trial, a plea deal had been reached with Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for the band Great White. February 20 is the 19th anniversary of the tragic fire that killed 100 and injured another 230 people at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. I'm going to do this. [9], The foam was sold to the Derderians by American Foam. 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. [63] Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch objected strenuously to the plea bargain, saying that both brothers should have received jail time and that Michael Derderian should have received more time than Biechele. 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. They didn't even let him talk about it. He arrived early around 8:30 p.m. Phil Barr: There really weren't that many people around early in the night. But it's fun. 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.". We have an exit through the kitchen. [51], Victims' families have also cited overcrowding in the venue as a cause for the causalities during the fire. About The Guest List In the end, the survivors and victims' families settled for a total of $176 million. Patrick Lynch: Jeffrey and Michael Derderian. Phil Barr: Being a survivor of The Station nightclub fire is a piece of who I am. Michael Derderian: They got this fax and it went on to describe the business practices of the foam company. Lynch also points out that the exits were a safety issue. That evening she had a girl's night out with a friend while her young daughter was at a sleepover. He still remembers that deadly night. I don't even like to talk about it. The Station nightclub fire would become one of the deadliest fires in a club in U.S. history. The Guest List: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock Concert will premiere on Sunday, February 20, 2022. My friends were dead, my other friends are severely injured, I no longer look like myself. I did not lead them out, he said dismissively. It would have been my legacy, Vanner said. [21] The Station did not have a sprinkler system installed. Barr was now outside, but he felt like his lungs were on fire. Eighteen years later, there is no consensus among survivors when it comes to blame. Hundreds of people ran to the only exit many of them knew the way they came in. It is the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. He trusted the owners. [12] Great White's popularity had waned in the decade prior to the Station fire, and they had been performing on a touring circuit of small clubs with capacities of up to 500 people. He trusted in his friends. That night, he allowed a cameraman to shoot footage inside the club for an upcoming story about safety in public venues. That's when I turned back. 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. VIEW ALL PHOTOS. The Guest List: Documentary about The Station nightclub fire will Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Jim Axelrod: Do you feel, "Oh my goodness, we're in trouble?". [tearing up] "What a great brother you have. Purchase and sale had been signed. San Jose shooting suspect prepared 'to take as many lives as he Scott James: It was a typical kind of roadside dive. The Foam.". Jeff Derderian: Because in my mind I had nothing to hide. But when Warner was called before the grand jury, he was not asked about the allegations he made in the fax. You were not approaching that area at all. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008. Inside The Inferno: The Station Nightclub Fire | Thought Catalog REELZ announces documentary about Great White club fire That was in like the 80s. [27] A portion of the nightclub roof collapsed at 11:57 p.m., and a second portion in the building's sunroom collapsed at 12:07 a.m..[24] Patients were transported to Kent Hospital, which was filled to maximum capacity due to the fire. I went over, put my hands against the glass, and I started kicking at that window and it wouldn't break. This is a company that did little to educate their employees about the limits of polyurethane foam. Firefighters responded within five minutes, and the building was fully engulfed within six minutes, according to a timeline assembled by WPRI. At 55, he lives with his parents and keeps to himself. "We wanted the full story to come out, not just some of it, and for people who want to come to their own conclusion on what happened that night," says Jeff Derderian. John Barylick is an attorney who represented victims in numerous wrongful death and personal injury cases arising from the Station nightclub fire. 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 through pursuits ranging from an exhibit of commemorative body art to re-immersion in the rock culture that initially brought them and their loved ones It was really everything to me at that time. That is the furthest exit away from the stage But it's a relatively straight line. And I fell down the stairs, out that door. We haven't played it since then and probably never will. [38] Derderian had begun working for WPRI on February 17, three days before the fire. I needed for that day to come, she said. 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. [89] "I don't think I could ever sing that song again," said Russell. [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. He sees a court-ordered therapist, who has told him he has depression and PTSD. [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. It didn't have a lock on it. I kicked out a side window to try to get people out of there. if he had done that, then he would have obviously have said to us . Jim Axelrod: Mr. Warner's fax wasn't presented to the grand jury, correct? [58] Others pointed out that Biechele had sent handwritten letters to the families of each of the 100 victims and that he had a work release position in a local charity. Jim Axelrod: The brothers say," wait a minute, we ordered sound foam. The Station Nightclub Fire - University of Cincinnati pdf To summarize the reports, specifically about how people exited, the vast majority of people attempted to exit the way they came in. 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 through pursuits ranging from an exhibit of commemorative body art to re-immersion in the rock culture that initially brought them and their loved ones Built in 1946, the wooden Station nightclub was grandfathered into an exception for laws requiring ceiling fire sprinklers. 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? Then there's that interior, inward swinging door by the stage that Former Attorney General Patrick Lynch says was responsible for loss of life the night of the fire. That exit door would soon be engulfed in flames. So, it was not a great decision to use these inside a nightclub that only has 12-foot ceilings. He wasnt charged with a crime, but his thoughts punish him. The brothers say they are still haunted by the events of that horrific night. 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. [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]. The Station nightclub in West Warwick burned down on Feb. 20, 2003, during a concert by rock band Great White, leaving 100 people dead and more than 200 injured. Patrick Lynch: They are running the operation. She saw friends who had lost people they loved, others who had been burned and scarred by the fire, and felt embarrassed that she got out physically unharmed. I refused to accept that as the outcome. It's not just about hitting the next goal but doing something really meaningful. The fire left her with burns over 40 percent of her body, it incinerated her hair. At least 64 others were also sued, including the state of Rhode Island citedforthe fire inspector's failure to report the flammable foam during multiple inspections. And people stood and watched it, and some people backed off. Updated on: October 24, 2021 / 2:07 AM Also there that night was Bates College student Phil Barr, who was home for winter break. Russo said that the memorial serves a valuable purpose today for those who knew victims. Linda Saran: I could have missed it all. Phil Barr: I remember the smoke descended really quickly. [104] The legislation would create a tax incentive for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems. Linda Saran: The foam was raining down and the flames are dripping from the ceiling. [34], Providence Phoenix columnist Ian Donnis wrote of the effect that the fire had on the close-knit Rhode Island community, "The loss of so much life would represent a tragedy anywhere, but it struck especially hard in Rhode Island, the nation's smallest state, where no place is more than an hour away by car and the fire claimed one tenth of one percent of the state's population. Michael Derderian: We do understand that anger and that's that's why we're here with you. and I tripped over what I assume was a bar stool. 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 . Scott James: When people arrive, they walk through this entrance and this kinda longish hallway. JEFF DERDERIAN [crying]: Many people didn't make it out and that is a horror that will haunt my family and I for the rest of our lives. Seconds later, flames appeared on the back wall. [20], Great White started their performance at 11:07 p.m. on February 20. It fuels you. There isn't a guilt in terms of like, that we knowingly did this or or caused it but there's a guilt that we it happened on our watch, happened on our watch. The club was sold. And while they weren't charged in the criminal case, survivors and victims' families sued them in civil court for not warning the Derderians the foam they sent them was flammable. The Station Nightclub Fire is Remembered in the Documentary - Yurview 2021, shooting at a San Jose rail station. Survivors of the Station nightclub fire reflect on tragedy's 20th anniversary One hundred people were killed and many more injured when a pyrotechnic display caused a massive blaze in 2003.. Barr was located between the stage and the front door. True to his words, Barr fought to breathe on his own. First published on October 23, 2021 / 11:18 PM. Father of youngest Station nightclub fire victim questions why owners Out of it. Station Benefit Concert Nets $25,000 After Broadcast [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. [48], Following the tragedy, Governor Donald Carcieri declared a moratorium on pyrotechnic displays at venues that hold fewer than 300 people. ", Scott James: They had their moments. Phil Barr: I don't like to talk about it, but I remember feeling weight on top of me, and I'm pretty sure I crawled out from under another person to pull myself up. Scott James: I decided I would start asking some questions. [2] The follow-up inspection in December 2002 also did not cite the foam, and the inspector gave the building an "All OK" rating on his inspection form. Tracy King died saving many others the night of the fire. that door being up, there is no question that that increased the likelihood that many, many more would perish. "There really weren't that many people around early in the night. Lying on the floor not far from the horseshoe bar, Barr lost consciousness. 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. Phil Barr: We kind of crouched down behind some of the people in front of us. I couldn't hear noise. Tracy King worked at The Station as a bouncer. The four exits inside The Station: "There's an exit near the stage an exit through the kitchen. The Derderians say that in the three years they owned the club, no one ever questioned the safety of the foam. Jim Axelrod: Describe The Station nightclub for me. [22] Biechele used four gerbs that were set to spray sparks 15 feet (4.6m) for fifteen seconds. After the fire, multiple civil and criminal cases were filed. [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.