Station Fire

1435 Words3 Pages

Synopsis In West Warwick Rhode Island, on February 20th, 2003, during the performance of the band Great White, a fire broke out that eventually claimed the lives of 100 people and injured an additional 200. The band’s tour manager arranged for, and ignited pyrotechnic props, large fireworks designed to display a shower of sparks. The sparks ignited foam soundproofing near stage. The fire spread quickly. Most were killed either in the crush to exit the building or overcome by fumes while trying to find an exit. The immediate cause was well documented due to witness reports and a videotape that was taken during the concert. In the period that followed the tragedy there were many attempts to fix blame. Following a Grand Jury investigation, several of the parties involved plead guilty to violations of the law and served or are currently sentences in prison. The Station The Station was a single story wood frame building of approximately 4500 square feet.. It was originally built in 1946 as a club for local military personnel who were on leave. Over the years it served as a variety of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. In 1972, a fire damaged the building and reopened in 1974. In 1991 it was converted into its final incarnation as a bar and showroom. The building was arranged with the bar, kitchen, dart room along with offices and storage on the east end of the building. The showroom and sunroom area comprised the west. There were four exits. The front door was only accessible through a corridor partially occluded by a small ticket booth and another 36 inch wide doorway in the middle of the corridor. This becomes a critical chokepoint when the fire breaks out. For fire protection, the Station had a local fire alarm sy... ... middle of paper ... ...007/11/rhode-island-st.html Sound and Video Contractor Online http://svconline.com/mag/avinstall_safe_sound/ ABC news http://abc.com Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire Providence Journal http://www.projo.com/extra/2003/stationfire/ National Fire Protection Association http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=633&itemID=21073&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Safety%20fact%20sheets/Saf&cookie%5Ftest=1 State of Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office http://www.riag.ri.gov/misc/station.php -Witness Statements -Grand Jury Testimony -West Warwick Documents The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/02/tentative_deal_set_in_ri_fire_case/ Transcript of Journal interview with Attorney General Lynch http://www.projo.com/extra/2003/stationfire/content/projo-20060922-lynchinterview.6fd21d2.html

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