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. When we had this guy filling in while Jack was recovering, we realized, man, thats not normal. During its show at the Chumash, the band open with Desert Moon, the tune that kicked off pandemonium in February, 2003. 3 min read. In deference to them, names are not published. As operations slowed, a sweep ordered of the fireground and surrounding areas found additional injured victims. In both cases, the suspect or suspects utilized a . Educational and technical dissertations have been published, seminars given and books written. Even restaurants that did not serve alcoholic beverages were impacted, but to the surprise of many, the restaurant industry did not oppose the change. 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. 462 people were in attendance, even though the club's official licensed capacity was 404. The 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history Feb 20, 2023 It took less than 5 minutes for fire to engulf The Station nightclub,. Great White Play North Dakota Gig With No Social Distancing, Masks Two people died in an early morning fire Friday that heavily damaged a home in Cranston's Garden City neighborhood. In an ironic twist of fate, a news team was onsite, filming a story on nightclub safety. Keep me up to date! Some proposals recommended requiring fire sprinklers in all Group A occupancies, which essentially ties the requirement to an occupant load of 50, based on the definition of Group A, while others recommended tying the sprinkler threshold to the consumption of alcoholic beverages or the presence of live entertainment. The approach emphasized the value of fire sprinklers as back-up protection for cases where other safety controls fail. Twenty-eight were dispersed in the B/C areas, which lacked exterior doors and windows. 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. The music was primarily house and techno with international Dj's spinning nearly every evening. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options await you. This week marks 20 years since the horrific Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, which killed 100 people and left 230 injured. During a sound check before the show, the band are energetic and enthused as they run through songs from their latest album, Elation, sounding much like the young Sunset Strip rockers they were when they began more than 30 years ago. From the NIST report: A fire occurred on the night of Feb. 20, 2003, in The Station nightclub at 211 Cowesett Avenue, West Warwick, Rhode Island. If it comes across like were a little hungry, thats the way we would like it, Lardie says. According to the 2005 NIST final report, the fast-spreading fire caught the wooden frames and aggravated the consumption, with an estimated 95 percent of the fuel load consisting of the wooden structure and paneling. All 86 listed significant thermal burns as a contributing factor. The fire started at the West Warwick club when a manager for the band Great White set off pyrotechnics for the band's show . 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. A Warwick Police report logged its first officer arriving at 2314 and being approached by severely burned survivors. Battalion 1, arriving at 2314, established Command on Cowesett Road opposite the A/D corner, and reported the building was well involved and that multiple rescues would be needed. These tragic fires and the accompanying loss of life often result from the same contributing factors which include highly combustible interior finish, combustible contents including decorative features, lack of properly designed and adequate egress systems, and overcrowding of occupants. Only registered ICC members have access to this article at this time. While trying to escape he fell and was buried under a 5ft tall pile of bodies. Smiling wildly, the fired would-be apprentice is more impressed with Great White than he was with Donald Trump. People stampeded into the area through entrances from the bar and club. At 11:13:21, Engine 4 is filmed parked on side A. News Sport Region Music Person Profession Crypto. There were thousands of people in this giant building with multiple different rooms and no rhyme or reason to the egress paths. there is one story of Mike Vargas who did indeed survive the burning pile up in the front doorway. That is that bands legacy, says Victoria Potvin Eagan, a fan who escaped the inferno. Several fire department chaplains assisted. Although The Station fire involved a nightclub, the reduced sprinkler thresholds in the 2006 edition were extended to include all uses classified as Group A-2 occupancies. The flames were at first thought to be part of the act. She also co-founded the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, which aims to raise funds for a memorial park at the fire site. West Warwick firefighters not on the first-alarm assignment assisted with body recovery. I didnt even consider playing guitar for quite a while until I found out there was a way to help, Kendall says. A partial collapse of the side A wall at the sunroom windows at 0015 hours initiated a second accountability roll call. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. When Russell began canceling dates due to health problems and addictions, Kendall says, the band called on temporary replacements. But the group most known for its 1989 cover of Once Bitten, Twice Shy has its loyal followers, including Alex Delgado, who showed up at the Chumash three hours before the show, hoping to have his Great White vinyl albums autographed. The pyrotechnics ignited flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. One video shows a burning patron exiting a barroom window as firefighters approached. A hug its insane how much that does., Eagan says Kendall is in touch with a core group of about 15 survivors. On Cowesett Road, WFD Tower Ladder 1 was approached by many injured and the officer led them to triage. 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. It claimed 100 lives and left some 230 other people injured. Its kind of a sacred place.. Are we going to be able to use the music to get back to that place where our music associates with happiness?. At approximately 2340, what remained of the barroom roof either burned off or collapsed. Cranston Engine 4 rerouted to the scene, laying a four-inch supply line for the tower's elevated master stream. Eventually, they kept one former XYZ front man Terry Ilous. Terrifying footage revealed exactly how events unfolded during the fire. >> I COME DOWN EVERY YEAR AND JUST KIND OF PLAY THE PIPES. Mass. WEST WARWICK, R.I. The owners of The Station nightclub say their decision to finally speak publicly about the deadly fire there nearly . Those compiling reports during civil and criminal litigation had limited access to evidence and interviews. Another 230 were injured. It is not recorded which companies filled this assignment. Of the fatalities, 95 were due to the inability of the occupants to evacuate before being overcome by the untenable conditions along the egress path. After the show, the photographer who took Delgados albums to the band returns them, signed by everyone. Falling patrons jammed the main exit, trapping the people behind them inside. He fell to the tile on his side and the people all around him burned. Dental records were necessary in identifying 70% of the deceased. Steven Ayer, of West Warwick, R.I., displays photographs of his daughter Tina, 33, near the site of "The Station" nightclub, Feb. 21, 2003. Regulations regarding pyrotechnic displays were also tightened and strictly enforced. Here are photos of the . https://www.linkedin.com/company/firehouse-magazine. Although there were four possible exits, most headed for the front door through which they had entered. The professional association representing West Warwick firefighters was offered the opportunity to comment for this article, but declined to respond. Eagan, standing near the exits, hangs out with Lardies girlfriend while Delgado grooves closer to the stage, recording some of the performance with his iPad. The second part of the solution is getting the codes adopted. to recommend any research and other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings, and improve evacuation and emergency response procedures, based upon the findings of the investigation. Officials did not immediately identify the victims . Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick in 2003 was the fourth-worst such fire in the nation's history. It is in equal parts fascinating, horrifying, heart-wrenching and inspiring. As the fire reached the ceiling and smoke began to billow, people began to realize the nightclub was on fire. The fire raced across the ceiling and over the dance floor toward the front doors. The stampede to get out led to a crush in the narrow hallway leading to the front exit, quickly blocking the exit completely. Todays fire safety codes and standards reflect painful lessons learned, one being that fire safety inspections and code enforcement must be prioritized. HIS FAMILY WAS EVERYTHING TO HIM. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time After exiting the building, Kendall called his wife and told her the gig would be delayed until the fire was extinguished. The NIST recommendations Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire, Volume 1 and Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire: Appendices included restricting the use of flammable foam plastic materials, prohibiting pyrotechnic displays in enclosed nightclubs without sprinkler systems, strengthening the enforcement power of local fire marshals, and strengthening sprinkler requirements. An exit near the stage was quickly eliminated as the fire spread around the door, preventing escape. But inside, a flashover spread rapidly along flammable foam used as insulation. The exit near the bar had been locked with chains in order to prevent people from sneaking into the club without paying. The flames were at first thought to be part of the act. The band had actually split in 2001. My wife and I were not crazy maniacs or anything, but were believers. When I walked out the door, it just seemed like such an easy thing to do, Kendall says. The Station Nightclub Fire: Revisiting the Lessons - Firefighter Training On February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in United States history. Several times, command directed FA to notify responding units of triage, rescue staging locations and specific travel routes to take. to confirm your email address. This is a huge fire hazard when a bunch of people are attempting to stampede out of a building because there is no way . A locked padlock Both departments' apparatus remained on their respective frequencies with both chiefs operating jointly at the command post. On February 20, 2003, 100 people were killed and more than 200 were injured when The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, burned to the ground. It shouldnt take a catastrophe to inspire people to take fire codes seriously or for property owners to realize their responsibility to keep people who enter their buildings safe. The configuration of the clubs egress doors contributed to the number of fatalities: The design of the front entrance corridor contributed to the loss of life, forcing concert-goers to push through an intermediate door that opened into a small foyer before finally reaching the main doors that led outside. The Providence Journal identified by name 247 people who self-evacuated 90 via the side-A front doors, 46 via the side-B bar door, 12 via the side-B kitchen door and 20 through the side-D stage door. Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the worst nightclub fires in US history at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. 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