The Station Nightclub Fire

The Station Nightclub & Great White

Our episode today takes us to Warwick, Rhode Island.  Located in Kent County, just South of Providence and about 60 or so miles from Boston, Mass, Warwick has a reported population of just over 82 thousand, according to the 2022 census.  Warwick is home to Rhode Island’s main airport, which serves as an overflow of sorts to nearby Logan International in Boston.  

Warwick, like many cities and towns through New England, has its own claim to fame in the history books.  It’s recognized as the location of the first violent act against the British Crown in 1772.  The Gaspee Affair, as it’s known, was an act by colonists against a British boat, the HMS Gaspee.  The Gaspee was charged with patrolling and enforcing the navigation laws around the colonies.  Basically, if anyone wanted to have commerce with the colonies, they had a set of rules and regulations to follow, which the Gaspee oversaw.  One day, while cruising around the water, the Gaspee ran aground and got stuck.  That’s when a group of men on the shore decided they had had enough.  They got their own boats and went out to the cripled vessel.  They attacked, boarded, and then set the Gaspee on fire.  This was in response to the laws and taxes that were levied against the colonies, and the Boston Massacre, which had occurred in 1770.  This attack preceded the Boston Tea Party by a year and increased the tensions between the Crown and the colonists, which would eventually lead to the Revolutionary War.  

Warwick was home to several officers and generals throughout the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, including George S. Greene.  In 1823, Greene graduated from West Point second in his class, at 18 years old.  He served in the Army until 1836, when he left and started working as a civilian engineer.  Then, when the Civil War broke out, Greene felt compelled to rejoin the Army…. At over 60 years old. He quickly rose through the ranks and was made a Brigadier General.  Greene is considered to be one of the heroes of the Battle of Gettysburg for his actions during the war.  After the war, he returned to civilian life as an engineer until he died in 1899.  Warwick’s history stretches throughout the founding of America, including being the home to Nathaneal Greene (George’s cousin), who served as George Washington’s second in command.  

Throughout the years, a few NFL, MLB, and NHL (including Predators coach Josh Hynes) players called Warwick home.  A couple of actors and actresses have lived there as well, most notably would probably be James Woods, who attended high school and grew up in Warwick. 

In Warwick, The Station was a 4400 square foot nightclub that would host concerts periodically, mostly heavy metal bands.  It wasn’t a place where you would find bands at the peak of their popularity, but they were able to consistently have bands come in and play.  Something that the residents of West Warwick loved because it was like “their neighborhood spot.”  From everything I’ve seen, it really seemed to have that local dive bar feel that people really enjoyed.  The building that became The Station was built in 1946.  Originally, it was a gin mill, and throughout the years it was also used as different restaurants and shops, but eventually it was converted into a nightclub.  

In March of 2000 brothers Jeff and Michael Derderian, purchased The Station.  Michael was an entrepreneur who had dabbled in various things throughout the years.  Jeff went to Rhode Island College and studied broadcast journalism.  He was the news director of the college radio station where he worked with Michael Gonsalves, who would later become a well known radio DJ on the area’s local rock station.  After school, Jeff worked as a reporter, and he’s been described as an aggressive reporter; kinda like the guy who would follow someone down the street shoving a microphone in their face peppering them with questions.  And that’s not to say that is a bad thing, it really depends on the people he’s talking to as a whole.  If he’s talking to parents who lost a child and he won’t let up, he’s a shit head.  If he’s talking to someone who murdered someone or stole a bunch of money from old people, he’s a hero.  

After several years in the journalism game, Jeff began to worry that it would become more difficult to make ends meet, so that’s when he and Michael bought The Station. 

In the late 70s in Los Angeles, Jack Russell met guitarist Mark Kendall.  Mark asked Jack to join his band, and they played a few shows together.. But then, Jack Russell was arrested for… shooting a maid in a botched robbery attempt.  He was sentenced to 8 years in prison.  While Russell was in prison, Kendall formed a new band with other people and called themselves Dante Fox.  They played a few shows, but their lead singer left for another band.  Kendall heard that Russell had gotten out of prison after serving 18 months, and the band invited him to audition.  Russell was voted in by a 2-1 vote, and they started playing gigs.  They recorded a few demos and tried to get a record deal. 

During the process of performing, sending out demos, and trying to make it big, their manager suggested a name change.  Mark Kendall had a signature look of sorts. He had long, naturally white-blonde hair.  On stage he used a white Fender Stratocaster guitar, wore a white jumpsuit, and wore white shoes.  The story goes that after a show, the manager was outside a club within earshot of some people and a car drove by with Mark Kendall riding in it.  Someone in the crowd said “There goes Great White,” referring to Kendall.  And Great White was born.  

Throughout the 80s, the band got signed by a record label and recorded then released a few albums and EPs.  In the late 80s and early 90s, Great White reached the peak of their commercial success.  They released the album “Once Bitten,” which featured the song Rock Me.  They achieved success and got mainstream radio play.  The album was certified platinum and they toured with Guns N Roses, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake.  They also appeared in the European Monsters of Rock Tour in 1988 for several dates alongside Kiss, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth to name a few.  

They followed “Once Bitten” up with “…Twice Shy.”  The album featured their biggest hit, a cover of a UK song “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.”  The album would be certified double platinum, and Great White got a grammy nomination for best hard rock performance.  They went on a world tour to support the album and performed with Bon Jovi, Ratt, Warrant, and Alice Cooper.  

The band’s popularity and success began to decline in the mid to late 90s, and they never achieved the same type of commercial or mainstream success as they had before.  For the next few decades, members would leave and return to the band, almost as if there was a revolving door.  This culminated with Jack Russell leaving the band, originally due to recovery from surgery for a perforated bowel in 2010.  Throughout 2011, Russell was reportedly returning to the band, but never did.  The new target for his return was February 2012, but he missed that return date too.  Instead, he formed his own version of the band named “Jack Russell’s Great White.”  The other members of the band were like… “what the fuck is he doing,” and said that Russell didn’t have the legal right to use the band’s name.  They vowed to take any venue that promoted his new band to court.  Eventually, the remaining members of the band and Jack Russell reached an agreement in which they would keep all the rights to the name, and lease out “Great White” to Russell so he could use them with his new band.  So, currently, there is the band Great White, and then “Jack Russell’s Great White.” That’s not confusing or anything, eh?

The Night of the Fire and Investigation

February 20th, 2003.  There was a crowd growing inside The Station in anticipation of Great White coming on the stage.  It wasn’t known to many at the time, but brothers who owned the club had been in talks to sell, and according to Michael, a deal was in place.  The purchase and sale had been signed.  Those plans quickly changed though.  

Jeff Derderian had recently taken a job closer to home in providence at the local CBS affiliate.  The night of the fire, he actually had a cameraman in the club, because they were filming a segment on nightclub safety.  As the time for the band got closer and closer, the crowd grew.  The posted capacity for the club was 404.  The night of the fire, there were over 460 people inside.  

The band made their way to the stage and Jack Russell said a few words to try to pump the crowd up.  They started to play “Desert Moon,” one of their hits from the early 90s.   As they kicked the song off, tour manager Daniel Biechele set off pyrotechnics on the stage.  The pyrotechnics were “gerbs.” essentially a thick walled tube that shot out sparks from one end.  These were 15 – 15 pyros, meaning that they would shoot out 15 feet in the air for 15 seconds.  There were two in the middle of the stage set to shoot vertically, and then one on the left and one on the right side set to shoot at 45 degree angles.  

The crowd roared with excitement and anticipation as the sparks shot up and out while the band was kicking off the night.  That quickly faded though.  Some people close to the stage noticed that the sparks were kissing the material above the stage.  The material was an acoustic foam.  It was in two layers.  The first was highly flammable urethane, and the second was less flammable poly-urethane.  The poly-urethane is much more difficult to ignite, but once it starts to burn, it emits a thick black smoke, along with carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide gas.  It’s said that only  2-3 breaths are necessary to render someone unconscious, leaving them to suffocate in the smoke. 

Some of the people in the crowd could see what was happening before it became apparent to everyone.  They started to move away from the stage and towards the exit.  It didn’t take long for the flames to appear.  Someone from the club went towards the bar and asked for a fire extinguisher.  They couldn’t find one.  The flames grew bigger and bigger.  Some of the crowd thought this was all part of the show, until the band stopped playing, and Jack Russell said into the microphone, “Wow, that’s not good.”  

Now’s probably a good time to talk about the emergency exits.  Door 1 was the front door, the main entrance where you would buy tickets.  When you stepped in the door, you would be in a small corridor / hallway.  To the left of the hallway was the main bar.  In the main bar room, there was an exit.  On the backside of the bar there was a kitchen area and what’s described as a dart room area.  There was an emergency exit in this room too.  Off the back of the dart room there was an area for storage and offices.  Back at the main entrance, if you were to go to the right or to the end of the hallway, it opened up to a dance floor / standing area, with the stage being on the furthest wall.  There was a 4th exit right by the stage.  

As the flames began to spread, the band made their way off the stage and out the exit close by.  IT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY SOME, THAT WHEN THEY APPROACHED THIS SAME EXIT TO LEAVE, A BOUNCER AT THE DOOR TURNED THEM AWAY AND TOLD THEM IT WAS FOR THE BAND ONLY, CLUB POLICY.  While it’s never been confirmed, some survivors have identified Scott Vieira as that bouncer.  He never faced any charges.  

So, while people are beginning to realize the danger at hand, the fire spreads… FAST.  People try to file out, but many are only aware of the main entrance at the front.  They begin to push towards the door, but the small corridor / hallway creates a road block.  This whole time, the poly-urethane foam has been burning and releasing the toxic smoke.  People who can’t escape begin to collapse as the smoke fills the venue.  Unable to move, people start to get crushed in the hallway and doorways.  

The band’s lead guitarist, Ty Longley, went back into the building after escaping, reportedly to try to retrieve his guitar.  He never made it back out.  Mike Gonsalves, who had worked at the college radio station with Jeff Derderian, was working as the emcee for the concert.  He never made it out of the blaze. 

Within minutes, the entire building was up in flames and unsalvageable.  When the fire department initially arrived, some said that they had an issue trying to get their hoses hooked up to the fire hydrants, which also delayed them getting the blaze put out. 100 people died either in the fire, or from injuries sustained from the fire.  230 people sustained injuries from the fire.  Many had burns caused by the acoustic foam melting and falling on their skin, giving 2nd and 3rd degree burns.  132 people escaped physical injury, but many suffered from PTSD for years following the accident.  

Following the fire, the investigation began into the cause… and nobody tried to shift the blame to anyone else and everyone took responsibility.  

Welllll, not exactly.  Investigators discovered quickly that the club was over capacity.  It goes without saying, but without the extra 60ish people, many more probably would have been able to make it out.  

The owners of the club said that they never gave the band permission to use pyrotechnics.  The band said that they were given permission to use them.  While there was nothing in writing, the band said that they were given verbal permission.  Even so, the 15 – 15 pyros were used, when the ceiling was only 11 to 12 feet high.  Permission or not, why would you use pyros that shot up higher than the ceiling?!?!

The building itself had fire alarms but did not have a sprinkler system.  Because of its age, built in 1946, and the way it had been zoned, it wasn’t required to have a sprinkler system and was in fact exempt from the regulation.  When it was re-zoned to be a nightclub from a restaurant, its occupancy was changed, and the changes meant that a sprinkler system should have been installed.  After the change in zoning, there were fire inspections, but no one doing the inspections never noticed that it should have had the sprinkler system installed.  The night of the fire, the club should have had sprinklers but didn’t.  A National Institute of Standards and Technology investigation ran computer simulations and made a mockup of the area and determined that a sprinkler system would have contained the fire long enough for everyone to escape.  

The investigation determined that the foam used for dampening the noise should have not been used too.  In fact, Jeff had also done a report on poly-urethane foam when he worked for a Boston TV station.  The report itself was about a deadly house fire that occurred due to a smoldering mattress.  In the report, it explicitly stated “”Another problem is what’s inside the mattress, poly-urethane foam.  Fire safety experts call this stuff solid gasoline and it can cause a smoldering mattress to burst into flames.” So, it kinda goes without saying that at least one of the brothers was well aware of the dangers with the foam they had installed. 

Trials

The community was shocked and stunned in the aftermath of the fire.  They wanted answers and for someone to pay.  After the investigation, charges were brought against the owners of the club, Jeff and Michael Derderian, and Great White’s tour manager, Daniel Biechele.  Each man was charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter.  Two per death.  This was because they were indicted under two separate crimes for each death, criminal negligence manslaughter and misdemeanor manslaughter.  

The brothers pleaded not guilty, but Daniel pleaded guilty. He said that he wanted to “bring peace and for it to be over with.”  He pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.  During his sentencing, the state prosecutor asked that Daniel be sentenced to 10 years in prison, which was the maximum allowed under his plea bargain.  He said that the massive loss of life needed to have a penalty that sent a message.  During his sentencing, Daniel made his first public statement since the fire three years prior.  

For three years, I’ve wanted to be able to speak to the people that were affected by this tragedy, but I know that there’s nothing that I can say or do that will undo what happened that night. Since the fire, I have wanted to tell the victims and their families how truly sorry I am for what happened that night and the part that I had in it. I never wanted anyone to be hurt in any way. I never imagined that anyone ever would be. I know how this tragedy has devastated me, but I can only begin to understand what the people who lost loved ones have endured. I don’t know that I’ll ever forgive myself for what happened that night, so I can’t expect anybody else to. I can only pray that they understand that I would do anything to undo what happened that night and give them back their loved ones. I’m so sorry for what I have done, and I don’t want to cause anyone any more pain. I will never forget that night, and I will never forget the people that were hurt by it. I am so sorry.

As he spoke, it was clear that Daniel had remorse and was still completely broken up by this tragedy.  

The judge sentenced Daniel Biechele to fifteen years in prison.  Four years to be served, with eleven years suspended, plus three years of probation.  He remarked that “The greatest sentence that can be imposed on you has been imposed on you by yourself.”  Reactions in the crowd were mixed.  Some thought it was just, while others thought it should be more severe. 

When it came time for Daniel to face the parole board in September of 2007, the board received twenty letters, in support of his release, many from the families of victims.  Many said that they found him to be less guilty than the others, and some even called him a scapegoat.  He was granted parole, and as of 2013, lives in Florida with his family. 

After Daniel’s sentencing, the Derderian brothers were scheduled to have separate trials.  Leading up to their trials though, they decided to change their pleas from not guilty to no contest, which would allow them to avoid trials.  Michael received the same sentence as Daniel; 15 years in prison, four to serve, eleven suspended, plus 3 years probation.  Jeff only received 500 hours of community service.  The judge in the case said that the difference in the brother’s sentences reflected their involvement in the purchase and installation of the flammable sound dampening foam installed above the stage.  The state Attorney General objected vehemently to the sentences and said that both brothers deserved jail time, and Michael deserved more than Daniel had received.  Michael was granted early release in June of 2009 for good behavior.  

In the months leading up to the concert, the club had been inspected twice by the fire marshall.  The first in November of 2002, when the club was cited for 9 minor violations, but not the highly flammable foam used for soundproofing, which was against code.  There was a follow up inspection in December of 2002 to verify that the 9 violations were addressed.  The foam was again not cited, and the inspector gave the venue an “All ok” according to the inspection form. 

The Aftermath

A memorial service was held after the fire.  Thousands of people attended to remember those who were lost.  Five months after the fire, Great White started a benefit tour.  Before each show, they said a prayer for the families and friends affected by the fire.  They donated a portion of the proceeds to the Station Family Fund.  The site of the fire was cleared and many families placed crosses and it served as a memorial for the loved ones.  In May of 2003, non-denominational services started being held at the site for months.  The site remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20th.  

In June of 2003, the Station Fire Memorial Foundation (SFMF), was founded with the purpose of fundraising and constructing a permanent memorial.  In September of 2012, the owner of the land donated it to the foundation, and in April of 2016, construction started on the memorial.  They had raised $1.65 million of their $2 million goal.  In May of 2017, the dedication of the Station Fire Memorial Park took place.  

As of September 2008, at least $115 million in settlement agreements had been paid out or offered to the victims or their families, including $25 million from Sealed Air Corporation, the company that made the foam that was installed in the club.  The state of Rhode Island and Warwick agreed to pay out $10 million.  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 a claim that their video journalist was said to be obstructing escape and not sufficiently helping people exit.  American Foam Corporation, who sold the foam to the club, agreed to pay 6.3 million in settlements.