Five years ago today fire raged through The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., leaving a hundred dead and over two hundred injured. The inferno began when pyrotechnics lit by Great White’s tour manager, Daniel Biechele, ignited highly flammable soundproofing foam surrounding the nightclub’s tiny stage. The survivors and the families of those that didn’t make it out are still waiting for their lawsuit against the nightclub’s owners and dozens of other defendants, including the band and local fire marshals, to wend its way through federal court. Many remain bitter that the only people held criminally responsible were club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, and Biechele, who is due to be paroled next month after serving less than half of his four-year prison sentence for pleading guilty to illegally setting off the pyrotechnics just two years ago.
On top of the physical and emotional hardships that come with burn injuries victims like Linda Fisher (above) continue to deal with mounting medical bills made even more difficult by the inability to return to normal work. A non-profit organization called The Station Family Fund was started to help survivors and the families of victims. You can donate via paypal here.
A benefit concert organized by Dee Snider is scheduled for Monday night in Providence, RI . More info here.
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