Today in 2003,100 people were killed and 300 were injured in West Warwick, Rhode Island, when fire destroyed The Station nightclub. The fire started with sparks from a pyrotechnic display being used by Great White. Ty Longley, guitarist for Great White, was one of the victims in the fire.
The fire was caused by pyrotrchnics set off by Great White's tour manager, which ignited flammable foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. The blaze spread in less than one minute, causing all combustible materials to burn. Intense black smoke engulfed the club in 5½ minutes. Video footage of the fire shows its ignition, rapid growth, the billowing smoke that quickly made escape impossible, and blocked egress that further hindered evacuation.
The toxic smoke, heat, and the resulting human rush toward the main exit killed 100; 230 were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured. Many of the survivors developed lung disease and post traumatic stress disorders as a result of psychological trauma and smoke. This fire was the 4th deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, and the second-deadliest in New England - surpassed by the 1942 Cocanut Grove Fire which resulted in 492 deaths.
RIP and remembrances to all...
(photo: Getty Images