Story written for graduate school, based on past events
“It’s the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen,” Christopher Travis said as he described the fire that erupted at West Warwick nightclub The Station last night, where officials say at least 95 people were killed and 200 more were injured.
It looked like a “cascade of flames” to him. In one moment, his hands were pumping in the air as Great White began to play his favorite of their songs, “Desert Moon.”
But no sooner than the first guitar riff came a fire that ignited the stage and spread through the club. Travis’ hands went from up in the air to down on the ground has he was knocked down by other concertgoers, who stomped on his fingers as they fled to the exits.
But things were not much better outside the club. Travis claims that people were rolling on the ground and pulling off flaming clothes—he could smell burning bodies.
Meanwhile, Great White’s lead singer Jack Russell had to be pulled from the club as he attempted to help fight the fire.
“The fire was just so hot,” he said, tears in his eyes. “There was nothing I could do.”
Rhode Island attorney general Patrick Lynch announced that it’s believed the fire began when pyrotechnics were set off by Great White’s tour manager Dan Biechele during the first song. The flames ignited a polyurethane foam that surrounded the stage. The foam is known colloquially as “solid gasoline.”
It’s unclear whether Great White had a permit to use pyrotechnics, but Biechele is working with police as they look into the matter. The band is claiming that they did have permission, but a statement released by an attorney representing the club’s owners, brothers Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, says that isn’t true.
“At no time did either owner have prior knowledge that pyrotechnics were going to be used by the band Great White. No permission was ever requested by the band or its agents to used pyrotechnics at The Station, and no permission was ever given,” attorney Kathleen Haggerty said in the statement.
Other nightclubs are also claiming that Great White used pyrotechnics without their permission when they hosted them in the past.
If true, the band could be held accountable for the lives lost. Rhode Island criminal codes say that setting off pyrotechnics in a confined space without a permit and resulting in death can be charged as a felony count of involuntary manslaughter.
Authorities are also questioning the Derderian brothers about the foam, and whether it was legally appropriate to have it in the club.
If not, this wouldn’t be the club’s first fire safety offense. During the last fire safety inspection, the West Warwick fire marshal noted that the club’s exit doors did not open properly and exit signs were poorly illuminated.
Dysfunctional exits may have contributed to the number of people trapped in the burning building, where concertgoers were trampled as they tried to escape.
Erin Pucino described the harrowing moment when she was knocked to the ground, 15–20 people falling on top of her. She was saved by two women and a man, who grabbed her and pulled her from the club.
“Without the help of those people, I’m sure I’d be dead. I’m sure of it,” Pucino said as she searched the surround area for her boyfriend, at bartender at the club.
Police are still working with families to acquire DNA samples from combs, hairbrushes, toothbrushes and other belongings to help investigators identify the deceased.
“This is a tragedy like nothing the state has ever experienced,” R.I. governor Don Carcieri said at the press conference with Lynch. “We are in total shock and grieving as a community alongside the families and friends of these fine people who were lost.”