The Station nightclub fire on the evening of Thursday, February 20, 2003, was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. Ninety-six perished on the night of the fire, and four died later from their injuries at local hospitals. The Station, which regularly hosted hair metal and 80s rock bands, was a nightclub in West Warwick in Kent County in the state of Rhode Island.

The fire

The fire started about 11:08 PM, just seconds into headlining band Great White's opening song "Desert Moon", when pyrotechnics set off by their tour manager, Daniel Biechele, lit flammable soundproofing foam behind the stage. The flames were first thought to be part of the act; only as the fire reached the ceiling and smoke began to billow did people realize it was uncontrolled. In less than a minute, the entire stage was engulfed in flames. The ensuing stampede in the inferno led to a crush for the door resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among the patrons and staff, who numbered somewhat more than 404, the highest of three conflicting official capacity limits. Among those who perished in the fire was Great White's lead guitarist, Ty Longley.

The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices intended to produce a controlled spray of sparks. Gerbs are labeled using two numbers: one for how far the sparks fly, and one for how long the effect lasts. Biechele was fond of using 15 by 15's, which means they spray sparks 15 feet for 15 seconds. Three of that same caliber, at 45-degree angles, with the middle one pointing straight up, were the kinds used that night. Gerbs are considered appropriate for indoor use before a nearby audience when proper precautions are observed.

An NIST investigation of the fire, using computer simulations and a mockup of the stage area and dance floor, concluded that a sprinkler system would have successfully contained the fire and allowed everyone to get out safely. However, due to its age (built in the late 1930's) and size (4,484 square feet), the Station was not required to have a sprinkler system, and it was not equipped with one.

The beginnings of the fire were caught on videotape by cameraman Brian Butler for WPRI-TV of Providence, for a planned piece on nightclub safety being reported by Jeff Derderian, a WPRI news reporter who is also a part-owner of The Station. The report had been inspired by the Chicago nightclub stampede that had claimed 21 lives only four days earlier. At the scene of the fire, Butler gave this understandably-agitated account of the tragedy:

Brian Butler's description of that night:

...It was that fast. 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. And people stood and watched it, and some people backed off. When I turned around, some people were already trying to leave, and others were just sitting there going, 'Yes, that's great!' And I remember that statement, because I was, like, this is not great. This is the time to leave.

At first, there was no panic. Everybody just kind of turned. Most people still just stood there. In the other rooms, the smoke hadn't gotten to them, the flame wasn't that bad, they didn't think anything of it. Well, I guess once we all started to turn toward the door, and we got bottlenecked into the front door, people just kept pushing, and eventually everyone popped out of the door, including myself.

That's when I turned back. I went around back. There was no one coming out the back door anymore. I kicked out a side window to try to get people out of there. One guy did crawl out. I went back around the front again, and that's when you saw people stacked on top of each other, trying to get out of the front door. And by then, the black smoke was pouring out over their heads.

I noticed when the pyro stopped, the flame had kept going on both sides. And then on one side, I noticed it come over the top, and that's when I said, 'I have to leave.' And I turned around, I said, 'Get out, get out, get to the door, get to the door!' And people just stood there.

There was a table in the way at the door, and I pulled that out just to get it out of the way so people could get out easier. And I never expected it take off as fast as it did. It just -- it was so fast. It had to be two minutes tops before the whole place was black smoke.

Thousands of mourners attended a memorial service at St. Gregory the Great Church in Warwick on February 24 2003, to remember those lost in the fire. Following the tragedy, Governor Donald Carcieri declared a moratorium on pyrotechnic displays at venues that hold fewer than 300 people.

Currently, the site of the fire is an empty lot, with the exception of a multitude of crosses, memorials left by loved ones of the dead.

Great White continue to tour, saying a prayer for the friends and families touched by that fateful night at the beginning of each concert. As for the song "Desert Moon," don't expect to ever hear it live again. "I don't think I could ever sing that song again," said band lead singer and founder, Jack Russell. Guitarist, Mark Kendall added, "We haven't played that song. Things that bring back memories of that night we try to stay away from. And that song reminds us of that night. We haven't played it since then and probably never will." They also refuse ever to use pyrotechnics again since the tragedy.

It was the deadliest fire in the United States since the 1977 Southgate, Kentucky, Beverly Hills Supper Club fire that claimed 165 lives. The worst nightclub fire was November 28, 1942, in Boston at the Cocoanut Grove, where 492 died after paper decorations caught fire. The Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi, claimed the lives of approximately 209 persons during a dance in 1940. The Station fire exceeded the death toll of 88 in the March 25, 1990, Happyland Fire in the Bronx, New York City.

Investigation

Investigators focused on the foam material which had been installed behind the stage. The foam was of a kind intended for use in packaging and product display and not for sound treating buildings, and would not have been treated with fire-retardant materials used in acoustic foam. Witnesses to the fire have reported that once ignited, flames spread across the foam at approximately one foot per second. Through attorneys, club owners said they did not give permission to the band to use pyrotechnics. Band members have claimed they had permission.

In the early days after the fire, there was considerable effort to assign and avoid blame on the part of the band, the nightclub owners, the manufacturers and distributors of the foam material and pyrotechnics, and the concert promoters.

On December 9 2003, Jeffrey A. and Michael A. Derderian, the two owners of The Station nightclub, and Daniel M. Biechele, Great White's former road manager, were charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter — two per death. All three pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Derderians also were fined $1.07 million for failing to carry workers' compensation insurance for their employees, four of whom died in the blaze.

On November 14, 2005, lawyers for the Derderians requested all charges be dropped against their clients, alleging a grand jury was never made aware of a fax vital to the case. The fax, sent anonymously to prosecutors by American Foam Corp. salesman Barry Warner, told of his company's policy of withholding from customers the hazards of its foam products, including flammability.

Criminal trial

The first criminal trial was to be against Great White's then tour manager Daniel Michael Biechele (pron. "BEE-clee"), 29, from Florida. This trial was expected to start May 1, 2006, but Biechele (against his lawyers' advice) pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter on February 7, 2006 in an effort to "bring peace, I want this to be over with." Under the plea agreement reached with prosecutors, he could have served up to 10 years in prison.

Biechele sentencing

• On May 10, 2006, State Prosecutor, Randall White, asked the court to sentence Biechele to 10 years in prison, the maximum allowed under the plea bargain, citing the massive loss of life in The Station fire and the need to send a message.

• Speaking to the public for the first time during his trial, Biechele looked to be truly remorseful during his sentencing. Choking back tears, he made this statement to the court and to the families of the victims:

Biechele's statement to the court:

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.

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. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. I never imagined that anyone ever would be.

I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. I don't know that I'll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can't expect anybody else to.

I can only pray that they understand that I would do anything to undo what happened that night and give them back their loved ones.

I'm so sorry for what I have done, and I don't want to cause anyone any more pain.

I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it.

I am so sorry.

• As the thirty-minute sentencing progressed, a solemn Biechele accepted responsibility for his crime. He did not flinch as Judge Darigan passed sentence.
• Obviously moved by Biechele's contrition, Darigan remarked, "The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself."
• Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan sentenced Biechele to 15 years in prison, with four to serve and 11 years suspended, plus three years probation, for his role in setting off the disastrous nightclub fire.
• With good behavior, Biechele will be eligible for parole in September, 2007. If released then, that would equate to about five days served for each death. Due to the severity of the loss of life, he will most likely serve out most of his sentence, which would then equate to about two weeks per casualty.
• With the exception of his unfortunately-disastrous misdemeanor, Biechele is an upstanding and law-abiding young man. Judge Darigan considered that and deemed him highly unlikely to re-offend, which were among the mitigating factors that led to his decision to impose such a light sentence.
• The sentence drew mixed reactions in the courtroom. Many of the families believed that the punishment was just; he was going to have time to repent for what he had done. However, many after the trial were hysterical, still desiring justice for their lost loved ones.

See also

• Beverly Hills Supper Club fire
• Cocoanut Grove fire
• Rhythm Night Club Fire
• Happy Land Fire

External links

News articles

• Inferno Horror at the Fire Station, Hammernews, February 21-March 14, 2003
• Nightclub owners, band's tour manager charged in deadly fire, Associated Press, December 9, 2003
• Governor: Examinations Of Nightclub Victims Complete, WJAR-TV Rhode Island, February 24, 2003
• 96 Dead in Fire Ignited at Rhode Island Club, The New York Times, February 23, 2003
• R.I. Nightclub Fire Kills 96, Washington Post, February 22, 2003
• Club, band dispute permission to use fireworks, CNN, February 22, 2003
• 1st Criminal Trial WJAR, 2005-12-12
• Guilty Plea WJAR, 2006-01-31

Other links

• Great White performance rider, The Smoking Gun, which makes no reference to planned pyrotechnic displays
• Continuing detailed coverage by the Providence Journal Including: an investigation of the town's fire, police, and building inspection processes; the National Institute of Standards and Technology report on the fire; a report of the emergency response to the fire; dangers of polyurethane foam in furniture, mattresses, pillows, and carpet padding; profiles of the club's owners; and the indictment and civil complaint documents. Free registration required.
• Kentucky Supper Club Fire 1977 Cincinnati Post
• National Fire Protection Association web page Nightclubs/assembly occupancies Includes a report on the fire, links to nightclub safety tips, information on safe use of pyrotechnics, and other relevant information.

Reference

• Rolling Stone