I needed for that day to come, she said. Brandon Fravale, a survivor of The Station nightclub fire, speaks with NBC 10 on how he copes with survivor's guilt. In December 2003, nine months after the fire, Jeff and Michael Derderian were in court, each charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter 100 for criminal negligence, and 100 for misdemeanor manslaughter. 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. It took a while, she said, but she thinks she had found the way to move on from it but to keep it with her as well. It was completely preventable. [9] Jeffrey Derderian said the door was also installed due to noise, and they had removed it as asked, but sometimes re-installed it if the venue was going to be loud that night, and it was used by the band to escape the building during the fire. Jim Axelrod: And that's when the despair sinks in. if I had nothing to hide, then why wouldn't you why wouldn't you talk to them and tell them what you knew or what you didn't know? And that's when it starts to hit you all that you've lost. Biechele pleaded guilty to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter, and Michael and Jeff Derderian pleaded no contest. Scott James: I decided I would start asking some questions. The night of the fire Jeff Derderian gave a statement to the local police and another one to an investigator with the Attorney General's Office. [78] The event raised at least $25,000 in donations for the Station Family Fund, and was broadcast in March by VH1 and VH1 Classic. Built in 1946, the wooden Station nightclub was grandfathered into an exception for laws requiring ceiling fire sprinklers. The Guest List: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock Concert will premiere on Sunday, February 20, 2022. Like Barr, Linda Saran had also spent three weeks in a medically induced coma. The first was her life before Feb. 20, 2003. Linda Saran and her friend Deb were in the atrium, huddled together under a table. It was late on Feb. 20, 2003, when the cold winter night erupted in flames. [21], Among those who died in the fire were Great White guitarist Ty Longley, and the show's emcee, WHJY DJ Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves. DANIEL BIECHELE [at sentencing hearing in tears]: I don't know that I will ever forgive myself for what happened that night. I couldn't play an instrument. There had to be that period for me. ", Scott James: They had their moments. Jim Axelrod: Were you a fan of the band Great White? He was the. Gina Russo has no clear memory of how, with her hair on fire, she got out of the Station nightclub the night of Feb. 20, 2003. Patrick Lynch: I don't think there's any question that had that door not been up a significant number of people would have survived. In the months and years that followed, Jody also learned about Tracy's heroic last moments. Jim Axelrod: Describe The Station nightclub for me. Firefighters responded within five minutes, and the building was fully engulfed within six minutes, according to a timeline assembled by WPRI. [13], In February 2003, Great White was on an eighteen date concert tour, and they had been using a pyrotechnic display during their performances that some club owners had denied them permission to use, citing safety concerns. The fire left her with burns over 40 percent of her body, it incinerated her hair. Linda Saran: The night of the fire I got in for free. [21] Thick smoke began to fill the station one minute after the ignition and the crowd began to escape the building. So, to the people who think we don't own it I'm telling you, we DO own it ok? This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:21. Almost immediately the finger pointing started. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the site of the fire for a number of months. Russell 's bandmate Ty Longley (guitar) was one of the people who perished in The Station blaze, which became the fourth deadliest fire in U.S. history. He threw my wife, my cousin, my uncle, my sister out a window." He trusted in his friends. it was also on fire. Petrarca remembers one of the most beautiful moments shes had. This trial was scheduled to start May 1, 2006, but Biechele, against his lawyers' advice,[52] pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter on February 7, 2006, in what he said was an effort to "bring peace, I want this to be over with."[52]. How is it our responsibility if they gave us the wrong foam?". But then the door would go back up when it was going to be a loud night. The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. The fire was now out of control; it had spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling intended to dampen sound. Michael Derderian also spoke via phone to an investigator. Barr, who was in his junior year, had dreams of a career on Wall Street and swam competitively for his college swim team. The brothers say they are still haunted by the events of that horrific night. She spoke with the Globe about Jefferey and Michael Derderian, the . There was no one coming out the back door anymore. Because so many people that were there don't have that opportunity. [2], In the months prior to the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque. I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. Linda Saran: Yes. [93] In the years following the fire, Great White split into two separate groups, one led by Russell and the other by Kendall. local Four nonstop. [32] The fine was not resolved until 2013, ten years after the fire, when it was upheld by a judge. 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. For the first February in 15 years, Lisa Del Sesto said, she hasnt had the nightmares. Today she is president of the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, the group that oversaw the construction of the memorial park. Even if he died trying. [2] Larocque later told the Rhode Island State Police that he had not spotted the polyurethane foam during the November 2002 inspection because he was upset after finding an illegal inward swinging door that he had previously asked to be removed from the building. Linda Saran: My hospital roommate, he and I took turns driving the respiratory therapist crazy in some ways it's almost like being in war together. We haven't played it since then and probably never will. Her father has seven brothers, Pimentel said, and she was especially close to Carlos. Cold air washing over me. Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, which killed 100 people. Tweet. [48], Following the tragedy, Governor Donald Carcieri declared a moratorium on pyrotechnic displays at venues that hold fewer than 300 people. 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. And by then, the black smoke was pouring out over their heads. Jody King: We never knew the whole story because the trial never happened, so everything really never came out. Phil Barr: I loved it. Jeff Derderian: None of the inspections and then follow-up inspections. Jody King: Nine different families have come up to me and said "thank you for having a great brother. The brothers say there was evidence that the grand jury never heard. Tracy died never giving up. The Guest List is based in part on John Barylick's narrative non-fiction work, killer show, the station nightclub fire, America's deadliest rock concert. Phil Barr: We kind of crouched down behind some of the people in front of us. The fire began as rock band Great White played to the crowd. Survivors and friends of survivors active in the effort to turn the nightclub site in West Warwick into a memorial park recount the emotional journeys that brought them from 2003 to 2018.. In the stampede, 21 people were killed. How did you meet him? [76] Another memorial was later that night the West Warwick Civic Center. One of the angles Lynch investigated was the Derderian brothers. The Station was a nightclub that was located on the corner of Cowesett Avenue and Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island. "It's hard to describe the level of agony. The February 25 concert at the Dunkin' Donuts Center was broadcast Sunday night on VH1 and VH1 Classic. The story of three survivors that were trapped when the massive Cypress Street viaduct collapsed. My parents taught us a lot, a lot of things. "We have 39 confirmed fatalities, and we are still in the process of searching the rubble. Their story starts three years before the fire. Jim Axelrod: When you come to, you're in a hospital room. We have an exit through the kitchen. And I said my hands won't work. Scott James: The fire alarm you hear it kick in. I have to find him. Jim Axelrod: There are so many people still to this day angry that the case didn't go to trial. Jim Axelrod: If the brothers are relying on the fire marshal to tell them whether or not they can continue to do business. [2] The final tally by The Providence Journal of people inside the Station during the fire totaled 462. That was the most important thing, they didnt freak.. Vanner has no excuses. [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. "Taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way," she says. Biechele and Michael Derderian went to prison. The shooting was first reported at 12:04 a.m. in the 300 block of S. 1st . You were not approaching that area at all. [9], The foam was sold to the Derderians by American Foam. [99] 41 and a film based on O'Neill's play They Walk Among Us were aired by Rhode Island PBS in February 2013 in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the fire. According to author Scott James, Great White had reportedly used a large pyro display without permission at other clubs, including just days before the fire at a show in New Jersey. S01:E03 - Station Nightclub Fire. Michael Derderian: He's completely out of it. "[58], Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. Cassidy was questioned by Customs and Border Protection in 2016, three sources familiar with the probe . According to Bostonherald.com, a memorial fund that raises money for survivors of The Station nightclub fire received at least $25,000 in donations after a benefit concert aired on television, organizers said today.. Station Fire Memorial Park, a permanent memorial to the victims of the fire, was opened in May 2017 at the site where the Station once stood. But he didn't know what. At the scene, Jody King was desperate for information about his brother, and began to fear the worst. That evening she had a girl's night out with a friend while her young daughter was at a sleepover. The blaze began when the band Jack Russell's Great White took the stage and their tour manager set off four large fireworks. The Foam.". 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. Robin Petrarca was in New York City three weeks ago, looking for some laughs in a comedy club. 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 "[58] The state parole board received approximately twenty letters, the majority of which expressed their sympathy and support for Biechele, some going as far as to describe him as a "scapegoat" with limited responsibility. [5] Local bands that had played at the Station prior to the fire had used pyrotechnics during their concerts without incident, including a Kiss tribute band that had set off fireballs during their show in August 2002. into the main barroom. [2], Prior to being converted into a nightclub and concert venue, the Station building had been used as a restaurant and tavern. The four exits inside The Station: "There's an exit near the stage an exit through the kitchen. [48] The grand jury also did not return charges against Russell. The pyrotechnics ignited the walls on either side of the stage and within seconds flames spread along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling of the club intended to dampen sound. So, I actually got a really good sense of the layout of the venue.". A decade ago, a survivor . [6], Great White, the headlining band of the February 20 concert, had risen to fame as part of the glam metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. 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 . Russo said that the memorial serves a valuable purpose today for those who knew victims. [3] A fire had previously occurred at the building in 1972 while it was used as a restaurant called Julio's. However, on September 21, 2006, Judge Darigan announced that the brothers had changed their pleas from "not guilty" to "no contest," thereby avoiding a trial. And the following year he was able to accomplish the impossible and rejoin his swim team. You bury nine people in a period of less than two weeks, she said, and yeah, I think it affects you. He owned his own construction company, and he was often in the backyard with his sons, improving the landscape or building two ponds that he filled with koi fish. Jim Axelrod: Did you have enough time to form those complete thoughts? Judy Tygard is the executive producer. Jody King says his brother enjoyed working for the Derderians. The Station nightclub owners Michael, left, and Jeffrey Derderian, right, pleaded no contest to 100 counts of misdemeanor manslaughter and agreed to a deal. Flames soon appeared on the walls on either side of the stage and spread quickly along the foam that lined the walls and ceiling, intended to dampen sound. Jody King: He ran in and came out nine times in 90 seconds. He was out there, and he just loved being in the center. This is a company that did little to educate their employees about the limits of polyurethane foam.
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