The Station nightclub fire

On the evening of February 20, 2003, a fire occurred at The Station, a nightclub and music venue in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230. During a concert by the rock band Jack Russell's Great White, an offshoot of the original Great White band, a pyrotechnic display ignited flammable acoustic foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. Within six minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames. The fire remains the deadliest firework accident in U.S. history and the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. It was also the second-deadliest nightclub fire in New England, behind the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire.

After the fire, multiple civil and criminal cases were filed. Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for Great White who had ignited the pyrotechnics, pled guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2006 and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison with four to serve. Biechele was released from prison in 2008 after some families of the victims expressed support for his parole. 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. Legal action against several parties, including Great White, was resolved with monetary settlements by 2008.

Station Fire Memorial Park, a permanent memorial to the fire victims, was opened in May 2017 at the site where The Station once stood.

Background

Location of West Warwick (in dark red) in Kent County, Rhode Island (in light red)

The Station

The Station was a nightclub located at 211 Cowesett Avenue at the corner of Kulas Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building that would become The Station was built in 1946 and was originally used as a gin mill.<ref name="pjtimeline">Template:Cite web</ref>

Before being converted into a nightclub and concert venue, the Station building had been used as a restaurant and tavern.<ref name="mooney1">Template:Cite web</ref> A fire had previously occurred at the building in 1972 while it was used as a restaurant called Julio's.<ref name="nist1">Template:Cite web</ref> No occupants were in the building during the 1972 fire, but the interior was significantly damaged.<ref name="nist1"/> Another restaurant opened in the building in 1974.<ref name="nist1"/> In 1985, it was converted to a pub, which closed sometime in the late 1980s, and a nightclub was opened in 1991.<ref name="nist1"/> The nightclub was purchased by brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian in March 2000.<ref name="pjtimeline"/>

In the months before the fire, the building had been inspected twice by West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque.<ref name="pjtimeline"/> The club was cited for nine minor code violations during the first inspection in November 2002 but was not cited for the flammable polyurethane foam the venue used for soundproofing, which was against code.<ref name="pjtimeline"/> The follow-up inspection in December 2002 also did not cite the foam, and the inspector gave the building an "All OK" rating on his inspection form.<ref name="pjtimeline"/> 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.<ref name="pjtimeline"/>

Before the fire, The Station often hosted concerts by 1980s hard rock groups and tribute bands.<ref name="donnis">Template:Cite web</ref> Local bands that had played at The Station before 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.<ref name="wapo2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Great White

Great White's co-founders Jack Russell (left) and Mark Kendall (right) in 2008

For their 2003 tour, the official name of the headlining band of the February 20 concert was billed as Jack Russell's Great White, which was an offshoot of the original band Great White and led by lead singer Jack Russell.<ref name="miller1">Template:Cite web</ref> The original band had risen to fame as part of the glam metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name="latimes1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="wapo1">Template:Cite news</ref> They were best known for their 1989 cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", which reached the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.<ref name="48hours">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="wapo1"/> At the time of their performance at the Station, there were two of Great White's original members in the lineup: lead singer Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall.<ref name="nytimes1">Template:Cite web</ref> Kendall, who had co-founded the band with Russell in 1977, had rejoined Russell's version of the group in 2002.<ref name="miller1"/> The rest of the lineup included guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire, bass guitarist David Filice, and drummer Eric Powers.<ref name="miller1"/> Great White's popularity had waned in the decade before the Station fire, and this iteration of the band had been performing on a touring circuit of small clubs with capacities of up to 500 people.<ref name="nytimes1"/> Although the band was officially known as Jack Russell's Great White at the time, and their tour was initially named after Russell's 2002 solo album For You, they were billed by The Station as simply "Great White" in error.<ref name="blab20">Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2003, Jack Russell's Great White was on an eighteen-date concert tour. They had been using a pyrotechnic display during their performances, which some club owners had denied them permission to use, citing safety concerns.<ref name="nytimes1"/> Dominic Santana, the owner of The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, told reporters that the band 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the aftermath of the fire, the band and the owners of The Station disputed whether the band were allowed to use the pyrotechnic display during their concert.<ref name="wapo1"/>

Jack Russell's Great White had two opening acts for the February 20 concert: Trip, a group from Vancouver, Washington, and Fathead, a local Rhode Island band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="fathead1">Template:Cite web</ref> All the members of Trip escaped the Station without injury, but two members of Fathead, cousins Keith and Steven Mancini, along with Steven's wife Andrea, died in the fire.<ref name="fathead1"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The concert was hosted by Michael Gonsalves, a disc jockey for Providence rock radio station WHJY who was also known as "Doctor Metal".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gonsalves was the host of the WHJY program The Metal Zone, at the time the longest-running heavy metal radio program in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fire

File:Stationfirestart.jpg

Screenshot of the Butler video, showing the beginning of the fire

Ignition

Jack Russell's Great White started their performance at 11:07 p.m. on February 20.<ref name="timeline1">Template:Cite web</ref> Despite the club's maximum licensed capacity cited as 404, a total of 462 people were in attendance during the concert.<ref name="pjtimeline"/>

The fire started shortly after the band began performing their opening song, "Desert Moon".<ref name="bglobe1">Template:Cite web</ref> During the performance, pyrotechnics set off by tour manager Daniel Biechele began to ignite the flammable acoustic foam on both sides and the top center of the drummer's alcove at the back of the stage. The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices that produce a controlled spray of sparks.<ref name="bglobe1"/> Biechele used four gerbs that were set to spray sparks Template:Convert in the air for fifteen seconds.<ref name="48hours"/> Two gerbs were at 45° angles, with the middle two pointing straight up. The flanking gerbs became the principal cause of the fire.

Within a few seconds, multiple sparks from the gerbs instantly ignited the insulation foam, and flames were visible on the wall above the stage nine seconds after their ignition.<ref name="timeline1"/> The flames were initially thought to be part of the act; only as the fire continued to grow rapidly and reach the ceiling and smoke quickly began to bank down did people realize it was uncontrolled.<ref name="timeline1"/> Twenty seconds after the pyrotechnics ended, the band stopped playing, the crowd began to back away from the stage, and lead singer Jack Russell calmly remarked into the microphone, "Wow... that's not good."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Within 40 seconds of the ignition, Great White had stopped playing and left the stage as The Station's fire alarm began to sound, although it was not connected to the local fire department.<ref name="timeline1"/> The Station had no sprinkler system installed.<ref name="timeline1"/> Thick smoke began to rapidly fill The Station one minute after the ignition, and the crowd began to evacuate the building in a frenzied panic.<ref name="timeline1"/> The fire continued to quickly spread throughout the building and completely engulfed it within six minutes of the pyrotechnic ignition.<ref name="timeline1"/>

Response

By this time, the nightclub's fire alarm had activated, and although there were four possible exits, most people headed for the front door through which they had entered.<ref name="48hours"/> Around 275 people attempted to evacuate the building at the front entrance, but only the first 90 people managed to evacuate, which resulted in a large crowd crush in the narrow hallway that led to that exit being blocked completely, and resulted in numerous deaths and injuries among the patrons and staff.<ref name="48hours"/> Multiple survivors claimed that two bouncers blocked the stage door as attendees attempted to escape the building, stating the door was to be used only by the band, although 20 people managed to exit through that door. 12 people managed to exit through a door that was only meant for employees, while another 54 people managed to evacuate through the emergency exit located in the bar area. Some people who escaped the building broke windows on the left and right sides of the front of the building, providing a quick and safe exit for 24 and 54 people respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Killer Show chapter 12 "I'm With the Band" (pages 93-101).</ref>

The fire was reported to the West Warwick Fire Department by cellular phone calls to 911 within sixty seconds of ignition.<ref name="nist2">Template:Cite web</ref> A West Warwick police officer who was already at the scene also reported the fire to police dispatch.<ref name="nist2"/> The first West Warwick fire engine arrived at the scene at 11:13 p.m., followed by three other trucks shortly thereafter.<ref name="nist2"/> Hundreds of firefighters responded to the fire, including every available West Warwick firefighter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fire departments in Warwick, Coventry, and Cranston rendered mutual aid to the fire site.<ref name="nist4">Template:Cite web</ref> The Cowesett Inn restaurant across the street from The Station acted as an ad hoc burn triage and command center for first responders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A portion of the nightclub roof collapsed at 11:57 p.m., and a second portion in the building's sunroom collapsed at 12:07 a.m..<ref name="nist2"/> Individuals who needed medical treatment were transported to Kent Hospital, which was filled to maximum capacity due to the fire.<ref name="nist3">Template:Cite web</ref> By 1:30 a.m. on February 21, all the affected individuals had been transported and the street had been cleared.<ref name="nist3"/>

Aftermath and casualties

Floor plan of Station nightclub, showing available exits

Number of victims found by location (main exit at bottom-center)

Of the 462 people in the building for the concert, 100 were killed, 230 were injured, and 132 escaped uninjured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ninety-six individuals died at the scene, and four more died in the hospital in the following weeks.<ref name="timeline1"/> Among those who died in the fire were Great White guitarist Ty Longley and the show's master of ceremonies WHJY DJ Mike "Dr Metal" Gonsalves.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Four employees of The Station were killed in the fire.<ref name="upi_75481373231931">Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2003, the Derderians were fined $1.07 million for failing to carry workers' compensation insurance for their employees.<ref name="upi_75481373231931"/> The fine was not resolved until 2013, ten years after the fire, when a judge upheld it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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..."<ref name="donnis"/> Many of the survivors of the fire developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Recording and account

The fire, from its inception, was caught on videotape by cameraman Brian Butler for WPRI-TV of Providence, and the beginning of that tape was released to national news stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Butler was there for a planned piece on nightclub safety being reported by Jeffrey A. Derderian, a WPRI news reporter who was also a part-owner of The Station.<ref name="bauder">Template:Cite web</ref> The report had been inspired by the E2 nightclub stampede in Chicago that killed 21 people three days earlier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Derderian had begun working for WPRI on February 17, three days before the fire.<ref name="lewiston1">Template:Cite web</ref> WPRI-TV and Derderian were criticized for the conflict of interest in having a reporter report on his own property.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bauder"/> Derderian resigned from WPRI on June 30.<ref name="lewiston1"/>

At the scene of the fire, Butler gave this account of the tragedy:<ref name="Butler">Template:Cite news</ref>

Investigation

NIST report

A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) investigation of the fire under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team Act, using computer simulations with FDS and a mockup of the stage area and dance floor, concluded that a fire sprinkler system would have contained the fire long enough to give everyone time to exit safely.<ref name="nist.gov">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="nistprime">Template:Cite web</ref> The Station, which was built in 1946, was exempt from a sprinkler requirement in the state fire code through a grandfather clause, which stated that buildings constructed before 1976 were not required to have a sprinkler system.<ref name="iccsafe">Template:Cite web</ref> The NIST report was released on March 3, 2005, and was made available in two parts on June 30, 2005.<ref name="nistprime"/><ref name="nistvol2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Grand jury investigation

An investigation of the fire by a Rhode Island state grand jury was started by then-Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch on February 26, 2003.<ref name="pjtimeline"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On December 9, 2003, the grand jury announced indictments against Station owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and Jack Russell's Great White road manager Daniel M. Biechele.<ref name="pjtimeline"/> The three were each charged with 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter with criminal negligence and 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in violation of a misdemeanor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> West Warwick fire marshal Denis Larocque was not charged by the grand jury, as Lynch had cited a state law that prevented charges against fire marshals without proof of bad faith.<ref name="projo48"/> The grand jury also did not return charges against the band's lead singer, Jack Russell.<ref name="louder"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lynch told 48 Hours that his investigation found that the fire spread quickly due to the foam the Derderians had installed in The Station's walls and ceilings as a response to noise complaints.<ref name="48hours"/> The lack of usable exits was also a factor, as was the inward door Larocque had found and asked to be removed.<ref name="48hours"/> 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 the band used it to escape the building during the fire.<ref name="48hours"/> Michael Derderian told 48 Hours that it was "Undisputable" Template:Sic that the building's use of flammable packing foam instead of flame retardant sound foam was the cause of the fire's spread, but the brothers claimed that they had ordered sound foam and had received the packing foam instead.<ref name="48hours"/>

Other causes

The foam was sold to the Derderians by American Foam.<ref name="48hours"/> 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.<ref name="48hours"/> Although Warner was called to testify to a grand jury, he was not asked about the fax.<ref name="48hours"/> American Foam disputed the claims in Warner's fax.<ref name="48hours" /> In 2008, American Foam agreed to pay $6.3 million to the families of the victims of the fire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Victims' families have also cited overcrowding in the venue as a cause for the casualties during the fire.<ref name="projo48">Template:Cite web</ref> Larocque had set various capacities for The Station in the years before the fire based on whether pool tables and other items could be moved.<ref name="projo48"/> The capacity for the Station was either 258 or 404, depending on how the building was being used.<ref name="pjtimeline"/> The final tally by The Providence Journal of people inside the Station during the fire totaled 462.<ref name="pjtimeline"/>

Criminal trials

Daniel Biechele

The first criminal trial was against Jack Russell's Great White's tour manager, Daniel Michael Biechele, 26, from Orlando, Florida. This trial was scheduled to start May 1, 2006, but Biechele, against his lawyers' advice,<ref name="Peoples">Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref name="Peoples" />

Sentencing and statement

On May 10, 2006, prosecutor Randall White requested a ten-year prison sentence for Biechele, the maximum allowed under the plea bargain, arguing it was warranted due to the death toll from the fire, and to establish "societal deterrence" about the consequences of ignoring safety rules.<ref name="Peoples" /> Speaking to the public for the first time since the fire, Biechele stated:

Superior Court Judge Francis 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.<ref name="Perry">Template:Cite news</ref> Darigan remarked, "The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Biechele was released in March 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The sentence drew mixed reactions in the courtroom. Many families believed the punishment was just; others had hoped for a more severe sentence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Support for parole and aftermath

On September 4, 2007, some families of the fire's victims expressed their support for Biechele's parole.<ref name="nbst1">Template:Cite web</ref> Leland Hoisington, whose 28-year-old daughter, Abbie, was killed in the fire, told reporters, "I think they should not even bother with a hearing—just let Biechele outTemplate:Nbsp... I just don't find him as guilty of anything."<ref name="nbst1"/> 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. Parole Board chairwoman Lisa Holley told journalists of her surprise at the forgiving attitude of the families, saying, "I think the most overwhelming part of it for me was the depth of forgiveness of many of these families that have sustained such a loss."<ref name="nbst1"/>

Dave Kane and Joanne O'Neill, parents of the youngest victim Nicholas O'Neill, released their letter to the board to reporters. "In the period following this tragedy, it was Mr. Biechele, alone, who stood up and admitted responsibility for his part in this horrible eventTemplate:Nbsp... He apologized to the families of the victims and made no attempt to mitigate his guilt," the letter said.<ref name="nbst1"/> Others pointed out that Biechele had sent handwritten letters to the families of each of the 100 victims and that he had a work release position in a local charity.<ref name="nbst1"/>

On September 19, 2007, the Rhode Island Parole Board announced that Biechele would be released in March 2008. Biechele was released from prison on March 19, 2008.<ref name="apnbc">Template:Cite web</ref>

Biechele's parole and probation expired in March 2011.<ref name="ziner-2013"/> Template:Asof, Biechele lived in Florida with his wife and two children.<ref name="ziner-2013">Template:Cite web</ref>

Michael and Jeffrey Derderian

Following Biechele's trial, The Station's owners, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, were scheduled to receive separate trials. 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.<ref name="Breton">Template:Cite news</ref> Michael Derderian received fifteen years in prison, with four to serve and eleven years suspended, plus three years' probation—the same sentence as Biechele. Jeffrey Derderian received 500 hours of community service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In a letter to the victims' families, Judge Darigan wrote that he accepted the deal because he wanted to avoid "Public exposition of the tragic, explicit and horrific events experienced by the victims of this fire, both living and dead."<ref name="judge1">Template:Cite web</ref> He added that the difference in the brothers' sentences reflected their respective involvement with the purchase and installation of the flammable foam.<ref name="judge1"/> Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch objected strenuously to the plea bargain, saying that both brothers should have received jail time and that Michael Derderian should have received more time than Biechele.<ref name="Breton" />

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 released three months earlier in June, due to good behavior.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Civil settlements

As of September 2008, at least $115 million in settlement agreements had been paid, or offered, to the victims or their families by various defendants:

• In September 2008, The Jack Russell Tour Group Inc. offered $1 million in a settlement to survivors and victims' relatives,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the maximum allowed under the band's insurance plan.<ref name="settle">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian reached a settlement of $813,000 with survivors and victims' families in September 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The State of Rhode Island and the town of West Warwick agreed to pay $10 million as a settlement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Sealed Air Corporation agreed to pay $25 million as a settlement. Victims' lawyers said that Sealed Air made polyethylene foam that had been installed at the Station in 1996, which produced toxic gas when it burned during the fire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In February 2008, Providence television station WPRI-TV and their then-owners LIN TV made an out-of-court settlement of $30 million as a result of the claim that their video journalist Brian Butler was said to be obstructing escape and not sufficiently helping people exit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In March 2008, JBL Speakers settled out of court for $815,000. JBL was accused of using flammable foam inside their speakers. The company denied any wrongdoing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Anheuser-Busch has offered $5 million.<ref name="beer">Template:Cite web</ref> McLaughlin & Moran, Anheuser-Busch's distributor, has offered $16 million.<ref name="beer" />
• Home Depot and Polar Industries, Inc. (a Connecticut-based insulation company) made a settlement offer of $5 million.<ref name="homedepot">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Providence radio station WHJY-FM promoted the show, which was emcee'd by its DJ, Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves (who was one of the casualties that night). Clear Channel Broadcasting, WHJY's parent company, paid a settlement of $22 million in February 2008.<ref name="radio">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, 48 Hours described the total civil payments to the victims and families as $176 million.<ref name="48hours"/>

Memorials and benefits

Makeshift memorial at the site of The Station nightclub prior to the building of the Station Memorial Park

The entrance to the Station Fire Memorial Park

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.<ref name="service1">Template:Cite web</ref> Another memorial was later that night at the West Warwick Civic Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A benefit memorial concert was held in February 2008 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence and featured performances by Tesla, Twisted Sister, Winger, Gretchen Wilson, and John Rich.<ref name="telegram1">Template:Cite web</ref> The event raised at least $25,000 in donations for the Station Family Fund, and was broadcast in March by VH1 and VH1 Classic.<ref name="telegram1"/>

On the twentieth anniversary of the fire on February 20, 2023, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee ordered flags in Rhode Island lowered to half-staff for the day and the Rhode Island State House to be illuminated in memory of the 100 victims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Station Fire Memorial Park

Station Fire Memorial Park in December 2018

The site of the fire was cleared, and a multitude of crosses were placed as memorials left by loved ones of the deceased. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the fire site for several months. Access remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

A permanent memorial at the site of the fire has been erected and named the Station Fire Memorial Park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2016, the site was reported to have been being used as a PokeStop in Pokémon Go, much to the strong disapproval from the victims' families.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In response, the stop was removed from the game by developer Niantic later that month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2003, the Station Fire Memorial Foundation (SFMF) was formed to purchase the property to build and maintain a memorial.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2012, the owner of the land, Ray Villanova, donated the site to the SFMF.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By April 2016, $1.65 million of the $2 million fundraising goal had been achieved and construction of the Station Fire Memorial Park had commenced.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The memorial dedication ceremony took place on May 21, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Aftermath

Great White, Jack Russell, and Mark Kendall

Russell considered disbanding Great White after the fire but reconsidered when he decided to embark on a benefit tour.<ref name="louder"/> The tour started five months after the fire, and each concert began with a prayer for survivors and families.<ref name="Arsenault">Template:Cite web</ref> The band raised $185,000 for the Station Family Fund during the tour.<ref name="masslive">Template:Cite web</ref> The band initially retired "Desert Moon", the song they were performing when the fire began, from their concert setlist.<ref name="Arsenault"/> "I don't think I could ever sing that song again," said Russell.<ref name="Arsenault"/> Kendall said in 2005, "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."<ref name="Mervis">Template:Cite news</ref>

Two years to the day after the fire, band members Russell and Kendall, along with Great White's attorney, Ed McPherson, appeared on CNN's Larry King Live with three survivors of the fire and the father of Longley, to discuss how their lives had changed since the incident.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Russell left Great White in 2010.<ref name="metalinsider">Template:Cite web</ref> In the years following the fire, Great White split into two separate groups, one led by Russell and the other by Kendall.<ref name="vanya1">Template:Cite web</ref> When Russell launched his version of the band in 2012, Kendall's group responded that Russell had no right to use the name.<ref name="metalinsider"/> After a 2013 legal settlement between the two parties, Kendall's band retained the Great White name, while Russell's band was allowed to use the name Jack Russell's Great White.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 2013, Russell's group had resumed playing "Desert Moon".<ref name="Boston13">Template:Cite web</ref>

Russell performed a benefit show in February 2013 in Hermosa Beach, California, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the fire.<ref name="masslive"/> Russell planned to donate the proceeds to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. However, the organization asked to be disassociated from the concert, citing the animosity that many survivors and surviving families still felt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Russell raised about $180 from the concert, but the Memorial Foundation refused the donation, a decision supported by Kendall.<ref name="louder">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, Kendall told The Providence Journal that he maintained amicable contact with some survivors, victims' families, and the Station Fire Memorial Foundation.<ref name="miller1"/> Russell's relation with some survivors and families had been strained, although he remained close to Longley's family.<ref name="Boston13"/><ref name="louder"/>

Neither version of Great White performed in any of the six New England states for over a decade following the fire.<ref name="vanya1"/> Russell's group made its first New England appearance in twelve years at a harvest festival in Mechanic Falls, Maine, in August 2015.<ref name="vanya1"/> Kendall's version of Great White was to perform at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, alongside Stryper and Steven Adler on March 25, 2023, but the venue indefinitely postponed the concert on March 2, citing its proximity to the twentieth anniversary of the fire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Russell died on August 7, 2024 from complications of Lewy body dementia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Others

41, a documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the fire, was screened at Rhode Island theaters in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Gonsalves was inducted into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Derderian brothers conducted their first television interview about the fire in 2021 for 48 Hours.<ref name="projo48"/> Some victims' families criticized the 48 Hours segment and the Derderians' involvement.<ref name="projo48"/>

Safety measures

Following the tragedy, Governor Donald Carcieri declared a moratorium on pyrotechnic displays at venues that hold fewer than 300 people.<ref name="service1"/> The Rhode Island state fire code was changed after the fire to require every nightclub in the state with a capacity of more than 150 people to have a sprinkler system installed.<ref name="mooney1"/>

As numerous violations of existing codes contributed to the severity of the fire, there was an immediate effort to strengthen fire code protections. Within weeks, the National Fire Protection Association committee met to regulate code for "assembly occupancies". Based upon its work, Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs) were issued for the national standard "Life Safety Code" (NFPA 101) in July 2003. The TIAs required automatic fire sprinklers in all existing nightclubs and similar locations accommodating more than 100 occupants, and all new locations in the same categories. The TIAs also required additional crowd manager personnel, among other things. These TIAs were subsequently incorporated into the 2006 edition of NFPA 101, along with additional exit requirements for new nightclub occupancies.<ref name="nfpa.org">Template:Cite web</ref> It is left for each state or local jurisdiction to legally enact and enforce the current code changes.

A training curriculum for crowd managers was developed with the participation of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, focusing on preventing and preparing for fires and other emergencies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legislation

Inspired by the fire, the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act has been proposed in the United States Senate and House of Representatives since 2003.<ref name="fsia1">Template:Cite web</ref> The legislation would create a tax incentive for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems.<ref name="fsia1"/> It was last introduced in the House in 2015 by then-U.S. Reps. James Langevin of Rhode Island and Tom Reed of New York.<ref name="fsia1"/>

See also

• E2 nightclub stampede, which occurred three days before this event
• List of fireworks accidents and incidents
• List of nightclub fires

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• The Boston Globe: "Portraits of People Who Died in the R.I. Nightclub Fire" (2003)
• National Fire Protection Association web page "Nightclubs/assembly occupancies": This page includes a report on the fire, links to nightclub safety tips, information on the safe use of pyrotechnics, and other relevant information.
• NIST simulations of the fire: without sprinklers; with sprinklers
• Full NIST government investigation - PDF of Volume I and PDF of Volume II
• Guide to the Station Nightclub Victims' Collection from the Rhode Island State Archives Template:Webarchive