The cramped foyer was reportedly designed to prevent people from entering the club without a ticket, but it proved disastrous when the large, panicked crowd clogged it in a desperate attempt to escape the blaze. Chaos then erupted when intense black smoke engulfed the club within minutes, limiting visibility. In the crush, many could not get out. The pyrotechnics ignited flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. The Mandalorian Season Three Gets Off to a Disappointing Start Chief 1 assigned two safety officers, one each from Warwick and West Warwick. Still, 10 years later, the band continues to perform, not distancing itself from the tragedy as if that were possible but gingerly walking in its ruins. A survivor claimed that she and her fiancee had tried to escape through one exit, but were stopped by a bouncer stating that that door was "for the band only.". If the fire wasnt enough to overcome, Great White is now forging ahead with a new singer, with the previous one now fronting an offshoot, Great White featuring Jack Russell. Both departments' apparatus remained on their respective frequencies with both chiefs operating jointly at the command post. At approximately 2340, what remained of the barroom roof either burned off or collapsed. Guitarist Mark Kendall is ripping through a solo on a new roadhouse rocker, (Ive Got) Something for You, when fog machines begin pumping vapors across the Chumash Casino stage, creating an illusion that the band is enveloped in smoke. We have sent an email to the address you provided. The fire started at the West Warwick club when a manager for the band Great White set off pyrotechnics for the band's show . On Feb. 20, 2003, 100 people died when malfunctioning pyrotechnics set The Station nightclub on fire in Warwick, R.I. The fire, which broke out on February 20. Once again, out of a terrible tragedy, many questions were raised on the efficacy of fire-combating techniques within buildings and the need for fire sprinklers and better-marked egress. Another stated that only four hospitalized victims expired, which was attributable to the airway-management skills of the EMTs and emergency physicians. I dont begrudge anyone that has anger or resentment, she says, noting that each survivor has dealt with the fire in different ways. Pastor Dave LaChance, right, consoles Jack Russell, lead singer of Great White near the scene of a deadly fire at The Station nightclub. A survivor claimed that she and her fianc had tried to escape through one exit, but were stopped by a bouncer stating that that door was "for the band only.". At 0037, incoming rescues were canceled; all living victims had been transported. Built in 1946, The Station had significantly aged and had undergone several remodels and renovations as it changed ownership. Grand jury transcripts indicate the U.S. Public Health Service Disaster Mortuary Response Team (DMORT) was requested to assist. >> I COME DOWN EVERY YEAR AND JUST KIND OF PLAY THE PIPES. All Rights reserved. At 2337, command radioed triage that people were still being pulled out from side A. In an ironic twist of fate, a news team was onsite, filming a story on nightclub safety. Horrific tragedies such as the Station Nightclub Fire prove what can go terribly wrong when exits are not abundant and easily accessible, when exit doors swing inward, or when automatic fire sprinklers arent present. The nightclub was known for heavy metal music, and that evening the headliner was metal band Great White. Some agencies radioed both West Warwick and Metro Control on the INTERCITY to offer assistance. They also perform other fan favorites, including Rock Me and Lady Red Light, along with several well-received new tunes, before concluding with Once Bitten, Twice Shy. During the show, the roughly 700 fans more with receding hair than Eighties big hair dont seem to mind Russells absence as Kendall wows them with blues-based guitar solos. Designed to release a controlled fountain of sparks, the pyrotechnic canisters (or gerbs) instead accidentally ignited highly flammable acoustic polyurethane foam soundproofing material in the walls and ceilings surrounding the fore-platform of the stage. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Just moments after 11:00 p.m., Great White came onto the stage with a high-energy opening number accompanied by pyrotechnics to impress the crowd. We want to hear it. Rhode Island's Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team was activated around midnight. The DHS report stated the medical examiner's office was overtaxed. SERA: A COMMON THEME WE ARE HEARING TODAY FROM LOVED ONES LIKE ANDREA SILVA WHO HOPES LESSONS LEARNED THAT NIGHT 20 YEARS AGO WILL SAVE LIVES. 159 125 125 comments Best Add a Comment TheRealMSteve 8 yr. ago Survivors' injuries and autopsy results can reveal accurate scientific representations of conditions inside a burning structure. Within two minutes of Chief 1's arrival, Engine 1 and Ladder 1 reported the front entryway clogged with about 20 victims. The NIST report also cites numerous code infractions that contributed to the fire and the subsequent loss of life. Replies to my comments It supplied a feeder liner to Engine 4 and operated its deck gun on the front entrance. Via side-A windows, 25 exited the sunroom and 54 exited the barroom. There is also a documentary on YouTube with survivors relating their experience. While the fire incidence was largely attributed to the use of pyrotechnics, the structural composition of the club exacerbated the rate of fire spread throughout the building. An in-depth look at the initial fire and EMS response and recovery operations for the Station Night Club fire in West Warwick, RI. INTERCITY radio traffic confirmed Metro Control requesting fill-in companies from Coventry and East Greenwich; departments designated by the mutual aid box system to move up on the third and fourth alarms. >> THE MESSAGE IS DONT FORGET, NEVER FORGET THESE PEOPLE, NEVER FORGET WHAT HAPPENED. The DHS report Annex A Fire Department Operations acknowledged maintaining accountability on scene and determining what local resources were still available was challenging. SERA: THE FIRE STARTED BY PYROTECHNICS DURING A SHOW SOME VICTIMS PERISHED IN THE FIRE, OTHERS IN THE RUSH TO ESCAPE THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR, WHILE AT LEAST ONE OF THE CLUBS FOUR FIRE EXITS WAS LOCKED. WFD Engine 5 and Rescue 4 were ordered into the CIR to assist with EMS; Rescue 4 reported 50 to 60 injured inside. Dental records were necessary in identifying 70% of the deceased. In a video taken that night, shouts of elation turn to horror movie screams just 90 seconds after the band launched its set. The medical examiner's 2003 grand jury testimony, released in 2007, revealed autopsy results for 98 victims. But inside, a flashover spread rapidly along flammable foam used as insulation. Subject matter including inspections, codes, civil and criminal litigation, opinions and recommendations of published reports, violations, blame, culpability and liability are not covered. Longley, 31, was one of the 100 people to die. As the fire reached the ceiling and smoke began to billow, people began to realize the nightclub was on fire.There were 462 people in attendance, even though the club's official licensed capacity was 404. Warwick supplied the rapid intervention team. There were people right next to the door that didnt get out, she tells Rolling Stone. A Warwick police officer, observing medical supplies dwindling, directed "gun trauma kits" retrieved from patrol cars. The crew observed fire already through the roof and also was confronted by injured victims seeking medical assistance. On Wednesday I will share a few photos from the venue. The professional association representing West Warwick firefighters was offered the opportunity to comment for this article, but declined to respond. Shes still not sure why some of the 420 fans made it and some didnt. By the time it was extinguished, the Station Nightclub Fire had earned an unwanted place as one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in the U.S. and the second-deadliest in New England surpassed by the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire that resulted in 492 deaths. Id just met them.. Two minutes after the Desert Moon kickoff, the camera catches a haunting visual patrons stuck in a doorway, piled like wood, as black smoke billows over their heads. The fact that people got stuck in the door trying to escape makes it so much worse. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. >> IM SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE 100, TO BE A PART OF GIVING BACK TO THE 100 AND ALSO SURVIVING IT. A band that was performing that night used pyrotechnics that ignited polyurethane foam insulation lining the walls and ceiling of the stage platform. Many responded to the scene. Im a far better person than I was, she says. One never made it out. 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. Jason Hahn. NIST Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire. Rhode Island Nightclub Fire The Station nightclub was a single-story wood frame building with a footprint about 4484 square ft. This week marks 20 years since the horrific Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, which killed 100 people and left 230 injured. Both reports reference the Providence Journal. On Cowesett Road, WFD Tower Ladder 1 was approached by many injured and the officer led them to triage. Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the worst nightclub fires in US history at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Precious seconds ticked by as most of the audience remained in place, thinking their actions were part of the show. A fast-moving fire engulfed the club in five and a half minutes, as 230 people were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured. (Manager Obi Steinman was brought in after the fire to help rebuild the bands reputation.) This fire resulted in 100 deaths and more than 200 injuries, and the doors played an important role. They changed their pleas from "not guilty" to "no contest," thereby avoiding a trial. Club Opera, Montreal's largest nightclub, with an elegant, sleek and very Euro-chic decor was certainly the most impressive venue the city nightlife had ever proposed. Two of the five friends she arrived with suffered serious burns. The Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick started when pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White set fire to flammable foam installed as soundproofing. The band began a benefit tour for victims and survivors that summer, and they would continue to perform benefits for the next two years. Fire officials quickly concluded that a sprinkler system would have most likely spared many lives the wooden Station nightclub was grandfathered into an exception for laws requiring ceiling fire sprinklers. 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