[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]. That specific. Since The Station fire, many states have adopted stricter fire prevention codes. Jeff Derderian: We tried to get as far as we could. There was nothing heroic about what I did.. [102] It is left for each state or local jurisdiction to legally enact and enforce the current code changes. View All 100 Memorials for the The Station Nightclub Fire Site. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. The Station was a nightclub that was located on the corner of Cowesett Avenue and Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island. [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. How did you meet him? [28] By 1:30 a.m. on February 21, all patients had been transported and the street had been cleared. [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. It took about five years to come to terms with that, she said. 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. 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. Michael Derderian: Jeffrey was responsible for all the marketing activities. Biechele was released from prison in 2008 after some families of the victims expressed their support for his parole. I have to find him. Patrick Lynch: First of all, I think it's pathetic, disgusting and unsettling to think that they're even speaking now The foam that they put up had a direct impact on the survivability of the bulk of the people that were assembled that night. PATRICK LYNCH [press conference]: We have an investigation on going and we need help, we need answers and I'm trying to get them. 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. Season 1. Michael Derderian: But that door became impassable almost within seconds because clearly there's foam that's burning at 800 or 1,500 degrees. Michael Derderian: That is correct. Dont take life for granted and I miss her every day She was my world and now shes my angel.. [82] The stop was removed from the game by developer Niantic later that month. [tears up, shaking his head]. In the other rooms, the smoke hadn't gotten to them, the flame wasn't that bad, they didn't think anything of it. 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 He was granted parole and then released after 22 months. I couldn't get up. I went around back. First published on October 23, 2021 / 11:18 PM. As numerous violations of existing codes contributed to the severity of the fire, there was immediate effort to strengthen fire code protections. "[58], Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. I try to say it in the lightest way possible, she said. There is one consistent thing I have learned after 18 years in the Scott James: They are what they call 15x15. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the site of the fire for a number of months. [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. Everybody just kind of turned. We have an exit through the kitchen. In fact, they did the opposite.". [9], Thousands of mourners attended an interfaith memorial service at St. Gregory the Great Church in Warwick on February 24, 2003, to remember those lost in the fire. I could have missed my daughter's high school graduation, the birth of her children. You were not approaching that area at all. One near the bar. [54] Darigan remarked, "The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself. Jody King: Hopped out of bed, grabbed my clothes, grabbed my keys, hopped in the car and took off. So, it was very quickly they were in the circle of people we should look at. The flanking gerbs became the principal cause of the fire. "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. Isn't that an important fact in determining who's at fault? *One SAVE card issued per household that experiences 25% or greater damage to a primary residence. 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. Her fianc, Alfred Freddy Crisostomi, who was behind her, pushing her toward the door, perished. That's all I can keep seeing in my head. Shed read Russos book, about how the fire left her a bald chick, and it convinced her to go back out into the world. 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. A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch. [81] In August 2016, the site was reported to have been being used as a PokeStop in Pokmon Go, to uproar from victims' families. That happened in 2001. But I dont want it to define the rest of my life. [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. As we mark 20 years since that night, here are those who. The fire was the fourth-deadliest at a nightclub in U.S. history, and the second-deadliest in New England, behind the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire, which resulted in 492 deaths. In an exclusive interview with "48 Hours" contributor Jim Axelrod, the Derderians said they wanted to set the record straight and reveal new information about that foam and accountability. Jody King: When he walked into a room, if there wasn't a smile he'd start balancing stuff to get you uplifted and smiling. Inspection records showed that just three months before the fire, the Derderians had been cited by the local fire marshal for having a secondary, interior door by the stage that opened inward, which violated regulations. 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. The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. 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 settled for $1 million. But it's fun. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. That happened in 2002. Jeff Derderian: None of the inspections and then follow-up inspections. I couldn't understand him or understand the magnitude of what was going on there. Eighteen years later, there is no consensus among survivors when it comes to blame. And they're quick to point out the club was inspected by their insurance company, and multiple times by the local Fire Marshal Denis Laroque. [11] Dominic Santana, the owner of The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, told reporters that Great White had used pyrotechnics during their February 14, 2003 performance at the venue without his permission, and their contract and rider did not mention pyrotechnics displays. Seconds later, flames appeared on the back wall. I figured I was on my own at that point.. Linda Saran: The night of the fire I got in for free. Obviously the nightclub was not in compliance, and there never should have been pyrotechnics, but there's no evidence the bouncers blocked people from . Marc Goldbaum is the development producer. Linda Saran: I think a lot of people miss out on the moments. About a month after the fire Barr went home from the hospital. I could have missed that My friends that didn't survive that night have missed that. 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. It would become one of the deadliest fires in a club in U.S. history. once you could no longer see, it was total pandemonium. Her father has seven brothers, Pimentel said, and she was especially close to Carlos. I went and laid down next to Deb and just waited to die. The Guest List is a strikingly visual film. 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. 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. Phil Barr: I remember the smoke descended really quickly. 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. Scott James: It should not have happened. Michael spent 33 months in prison, while Jeff had to do 500 hours of community service. On February 20, 2003 at about 11:10 p.m., Jody King got a call that something was going on at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. it was happening so fast, fast, fast, fast. The brothers have since learned that the fire marshal should have tested the foam on the wall. For the first few years she shunned memorial ceremonies but eventually was convinced to go. [29] The initial death toll was 96 people; Four more individuals died in the hospital in the weeks following, bringing the toll to 100. It was criminal, he says. Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. sentenced Biechele to fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probation, for his role in the fire. Her bill was $646 that month, she said. Barr, who was in his junior year, had dreams of a career on Wall Street and swam competitively for his college swim team. His fiance, Tina Ayer, died at 33 in the fire, CBS Boston reported. [21] A total of 462 people were in attendance, even though the club's maximum licensed capacity was cited as 404.[2]. "[5], Many of the survivors of the fire developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the event. Jeff called his brother Michael who was in Florida.
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