| The Station Nightclub Fire |
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THE FIRE The fire started when Pyrotechnics set off by Great White , the Rock Band playing that night, 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. The ensuing Stampede in the inferno led to the numerous deaths among the patrons, who numbered somewhat more than 404, the highest of three conflicting official capacity limits. The pyrotechnics were Gerbs , cylindrical devices intended to produce a controlled spray of sparks. Gerbs are considered appropriate for indoor use before a nearby audience when proper precautions are observed. Due to age and size, 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. Thousands of mourners attended a memorial service 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. 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 Material s 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 Attorney s, 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 , the two owners of the nightclub, Jeffrey A. and Michael A. Derderian, and Daniel M. Biechele, the band'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 Daniel M. Biechele. This trial was expected to start May 1 2006 , but Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter on February 7 2006 . He will serve up to 10 years in prison. The sentencing portion of the guilty plea is scheduled to be on May 8th, 2006. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS News articles
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