Digital Extra: The Station Fire

That left no one at the truck to immediately start the pump and fill the lines with water.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Donovan Williams, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, serious condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

She worked with Lisa D'Andrea when she was a teacher in North Attleboro.

Joseph DiBona, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Joseph DiBona, Mass. General, serious condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Joseph DiBona, Mass. General, serious condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Donovan Williams, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

The Providence Journal willingly corrects all errors. To report an error or suspected error, call 277-7303 and ask for the city editor.

Donovan Williams, Mass. General, fair condition.

Ronald J. Resmini, who is representing two injured clients and a third who lost a spouse in the blaze, amended the lawsuit that he filed in U.S. District Court last month to include Shell and its parent company, Motiva Enterprises LLC, of Houston.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Donovan Williams, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Under a proposed amendment, not yet finalized, the pending House bill would replace the grandfather clause with the National Fire Protection Association's codes for existing buildings, as the state's Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal & Review has recommended.

Brass Attack, rhythm and blues, Canonchet Beach Club, Narragansett. 782-1877. Sat 8 pm-midnight.

West Warwick firefighters sat around the kitchen table at the Cowesett Avenue fire station Thursday night, just blocks from the scene of The Station fire, watching televised testimony from victims' families.

The cost of caring for people injured in the fire at The Station has fallen heavily on Medicaid, the state's health program for the poor and disabled -- and has prompted Governor Carcieri to once again seek help from Washington.

Donovan Williams, Mass. General, fair condition.

MARK ARSENAULT

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

After two months of testimony, the commission must decide between public safety and financial well-being of some small businesses. The recommendations of the 17-member commission, due June 6, will be written into legislation for General Assembly debate next month.

The spiteful floodwaters that washed away homes in Tarboro, North Carolina, also lifted caskets from their graves and sent them floating, everywhere.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, fair condition.

Yesterday, the License Board allowed the nightclub to reopen, after the fire marshal and deputy director of the city's building systems said the sprinklers were working again, said License Administrator John Murphy.

If West Warwick inspectors failed to notice the highly flammable packing foam covering the walls around the stage in The Station nightclub, it was not for a lack of visits.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, fair condition.

It's the only sound I hear, besides my own gasps for breath inside the air mask. I pull off one of my gloves for a moment and feel for the concrete wall beside me. The heat bakes my skin as I raise my hand. Smoke rolls overhead and descends lower and lower. The only way to breathe without a mask would be to lie flat on the floor.

But for the last three months, Stefanie Campopiano-Simpson has also waded voluntarily through her torment for traces of the man at the window.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

PROVIDENCE -- A nine-member steering committee was assembled today to guide the civil lawsuits filed from the deadly nightclub fire in West Warwick that killed 100 people.

PROVIDENCE - - Lawyers for the owners of The Station nightclub argued in papers filed today in Workers' Compensation Court that the fine assessed to their clients for failing to carry workers' compensation insurance is so excessive it violates their constitutional rights.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Connecticut House raced past Rhode Island lawmakers yesterday to pass a bill that requires sprinklers in most buildings with indoor pyrotechnics, empowers fire marshals to immediately close buildings with fire-code violations, and imposes steeper penalties on lawbreakers.

Survivors of The Station nightclub fire, and the families of those who died there, exposed their pain last night to the officials charged with making the state safer.

"That's pretty cold," said Bahra's Market employee David Brazil, after watching a surveillance tape which shows a thief taking the white plastic canister.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, fair condition.

Club Pulse, on Crary Street, was warned by fire inspectors to fix the sprinkler system back in March. Fire Marshal David Costa said he'd originally wanted the state fire marshal to close the nightclub, but a temporary agreement gave Pulse time to fix the sprinklers and remain open, as long as it hired a firefighter to watch the crowds.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

The relatives -- a grandmother in West Warwick, a cousin of the boy's mother in Maine and a Florida man who says he is the boy's father -- have all retained lawyers for what could be yet another painful chapter in the life of Justin Perry DeMaio.

The commission co-chairmen have asked that anyone who wants to testify call ahead, so organizers may have some idea of how many people are coming. The phone number is 222-3472. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. in Room 313 in the State House, though a large response will force organizers to move to a bigger space.

The Kick Start Poker Run features Loaded Dice with Doug James and Sugar Ray Norcia, rhythm and blues, and Mr. Breeze, tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sal's Rhythm & Blues Club, 200 George Waterman Rd., Johnston. 965-0849. Sun 2 pm. $20 rider or at door; $10 passenger, includes food. In memory of Tracy King, who died in the fire. Poker run starts at Cowesett Inn, 226 Cowesett Ave., West Warwick, 9-11 am (registration).

The audit by San Diego-based Titan Systems Corp. is expected to start June 16, and will take six to nine months, according to a spokeswoman for Governor Carcieri.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, fair condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

A news report about the dangers of polyurethane foam may play a key role in the criminal investigation of the owners of The Station, the West Warwick nightclub where a rapidly moving fire killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others.

As the boys' father and maternal grandparents stood beside them, the brothers smiled and bowed their soft faces toward the conference room floor. They shed not a tear, which could not be said of some staff at the Rhode Island Foundation who gathered around them yesterday morning to accept their gift in their mother's memory.

Fortunately, those three nights and all that talent have not been lost to history. They were recorded for CD and DVD programs of pure music called A Call for Action, which are now being sold by The Rhode Island Foundation to benefit The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund.

There are 717 pieces of evidence stored in the warehouse that could play a role in civil lawsuits stemming from The Station fire, which took 100 lives and injured more than 200 others. Early yesterday morning, with members of the media looking on, the judge got a look at the secure storage facility where evidence collected by private fire experts is being housed. Accompanying Gibney were a court clerk, court administrator, four lawyers who represent fire victims and their families and two lawyers who represent as yet unnamed defendants who expect to be sued.

Paul Vanner, former stage coordinator and sound manager at The Station, went before the city Board of Licenses Friday to get a license to play his guitar on city streets.

Updated 4:36 p.m.

A Chinese restaurant, a neighborhood bar and a popular nightclub are on a growing list of businesses caught in a statewide crackdown on violators of the workers' compensation law since The Station fire.

This morning, Superior Court Judge Alice B. Gibney, appointed to oversee all litigation stemming from the Feb. 20 fire at West Warwick club, toured a warehouse where the items are being stored.

Heresy and Apollo were battling for the World Championship of Power League Wrestling -- and were helping to raise money for victims and family of victims of The Station nightclub fire.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, serious condition.

Joseph F. Kinan, 34, of Canton, Mass., is listed in serious condition at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. He lost his fingers and parts of his nose and ears as a result of the burns he suffered in the Feb. 20 nightclub fire. His eyes were also damaged, and he suffered severe inhalation injuries, one of his lawyers, Ann S. Sheeley, of Roxbury, Mass., said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

The design of the front entrance of The Station nightclub slowed and confused patrons who were trying to flee the deadly West Warwick fire of Feb. 20.

Nobody's in a hurry. There's no sense of urgency.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, serious condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

But the hometown hero is ready for him.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, serious condition.

Great White, the band whose pyrotechnics set off The Station nightclub fire that caused 100 deaths and injured more than 200, is accepting donations from fans to help defray its legal expenses in connection with a criminal grand jury probe and a raft of anticipated civil suits.

Work on the garden started yesterday. About 20 members of Brownie Troop 449 from the school planted red and white geraniums and placed American flags in wooden barrels.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Thirteen-year-old Carlos Pimentel Jr., a soft-spoken boy with lively dark eyes, raised his hand.

Sen. Jack Reed announced yesterday that the state would receive a modest grant -- $450,000 -- to help pay for state police and West Warwick and Coventry police overtime and to help with investigative costs incurred by the state's crime lab and the attorney general's office.

Joseph Kinan, Mass. General, serious condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

The federal funding may be used to pay for police overtime, investigation of the fire scene by law enforcement officials and forensic toxicology services provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health, according to a press release from the Rhode Island Democrat office.

The commission asks that anyone who wants to testify call ahead (222-3472), so organizers can have an idea of how many people are coming. The meeting is scheduled in Room 313 in the State House, though a large response will force organizers to move to a bigger space.

Michael Iannone, of Johnston, is now recovering at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Some of the proceeds from a heavy-metal festival in Florida this summer will be distributed to the families of those who died in The Station nightclub fire, the event's promoter said yesterday.

It is the first school to be shut down for fire-code violations since the fire at The Station, said state Fire Marshal Irving J. Owens.

They are elderly and lost their daughter in the Station fire. Her ashes are in their house but the urn has become an aching reminder for the children she left behind.

WORCESTER, Mass. -- From what Michael Ricardi can remember, the rock 'n' roll fans were "shoulder-to-shoulder," as the band Great White began to play in West Warwick on Feb. 20.

The Providence Journal willingly corrects all errors. To report an error or suspected error, call 277-7303 and ask for the city editor.

Most fire sprinklers used throughout the world today have roots in Rhode Island.

Some merchants are worried that any move by state lawmakers -- in the wake of The Station nightclub fire -- to require fire sprinklers would be too costly and drive them out of business.

Saying that those involved in The Station nightclub fire are "slipping through the cracks" of current relief efforts, a coalition of family members and survivors have formed their own assistance fund.

Applications are available at the URI Feinstein College of Continuing Education.

Michael Iannone, Mass. General, fair condition.

The Sharon, Pa., native pursued the same rock 'n' roll dream that each year lures guitarists from garage bands across the country to the bright lights of L.A.

They were at their daughter's bedside when Dr. Kenneth Haspel, the doctor in charge that night, said it would be good if they could talk in a private conference room.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Michael Iannone, Mass. General, fair condition.

Judge Alice B. Gibney said she has known the two Providence lawyers for more than 30 years and that they merited the appointment "by virtue of their energy, intellect and exhaustive attention to detail and also because of the professional respect they enjoy among their colleagues."

In an appeal filed yesterday in state Workers' Compensation Court, the department's associate attorney, Bernard P. Healy, requested that the penalty be assessd against the Derderians personally, "in their individual capacities and as managers/owners of Derco, LLC."

Michael Iannone, Mass. General, fair condition.

Eleven weeks after arriving at Rhode Island Hospital burned and gasping for air, John F. Van Deusen III was discharged yesterday morning -- the last and the sickest of Rhode Island Hospital's 43 Station fire patients.

Six nurses who voluntarily went to the scene of The Station nightclub fire were honored yesterday at Rhode Island Hospital.

Mark Mandell and Max Wistow were named as interim lead counsels today by Judge Alice Gibney, who is overseeing lawsuits filed in the wake of the fire.

Records from the state fire marshal's office say that West Warwick has inspected four establishments. West Warwick officials say they've actually performed 19 inspections -- 8 schools and 11 other places of assembly.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Since the fire destroyed The Station nightclub on Feb. 20, The Journal and other news outlets have reported that a grand jury was convened to investigate the fire. Details about the appearance of several witnesses -- including members of Great White, the band performing on the night of the fire -- have been exhaustively reported.

This is "rock 'n' roll's illusion of safety," which has existed in Rhode Island and across the nation because laws do not address the unique safety requirements of live entertainment, said Paul Wertheimer, the principal behind Crowd Management Strategies, a Chicago consulting firm.

Michael Iannone, Mass. General, fair condition.

"It was hell. End of story," John F. Van Deusen III told reporters.

When lead singer Jack Russell announced a benefit concert tour in Los Angeles last week, the band's attorney said all proceeds would go to the Cranston-based Feinstein Foundation for distribution to victims' families.

What if The Station nightclub had sprinklers?

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

One exit was on fire. One exit was hidden in the kitchen. One exit was at the opposite side of the building from the stage, where most patrons were.

The commission is scheduled to take testimony from the general public next week, and then will schedule a session for the following week to hear from survivors of the Feb. 20 disaster at The Station nightclub, and the families of the 100 people who died in the worst fire in Rhode Island history.

Michael Iannone, Mass. General, fair condition.

Coventry Building & Wrecking Co., of Hope, finished its task of removing the remaining rubble, filling and leveling the lot on Cowesett Avenue yesterday afternoon, said Kim Baccaire, a project manager.

Shell Oil Co. has accused Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, owners of the West Warwick nightclub where 100 people perished, of secretly buying a gas station in North Kingstown without the corporate giant's approval.

Born in Providence, a daughter of Joseph A. and Anna M. (Mercurio) Gruttadauria of Johnston, she was a lifelong Johnston resident. She was a 1987 graduate of Johnston High School, and a 1999 graduate of the Sawyer School of Business.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Born in Providence, a daughter of Joseph A. and Anna M. (Mercurio) Gruttadauria of Johnston, she was a lifelong Johnston resident. She was a 1987 graduate of Johnston High School, and a 1999 graduate of the Sawyer School of Business.

Patton's letters to local officials, penned from his home in California, attack the establishment and promise safety at a fraction of the cost of traditional sprinkler systems -- those approved by the National Fire Protection Association.

Like many West Warwick residents, Laurie Yurovchak will feel relief.

Coventry Building Wrecking Co. of Hope finished its task of removing the remaining rubble, filling and leveling the lot on Cowesett Avenue this afternoon, said Kim Baccaire, a project manager.

Seventy-three days after a devastating fire swept through The Station nightclub in West Warwick, the disaster has claimed its 100th victim.

TV shows are doing plenty of ripping and tearing these days.

Pamela Gruttadauria of Johnston lost her fight last night against the injuries she suffered in The Station nightclub blaze, becoming the 100th person to die from the fire.

WEST WARWICK -- Two-and-a-half months after the worst fire in the state's history, the burned-out remains of The Station nightclub were being cleared away today.

Lynch was reading a story about Jordan to the children at Norwood School last week when the youngster interrupted. A puzzled Lynch smiled and noted that the boy was wearing Jordan's number 23.

Pamela Gruttadauria, Mass. General, critical condition.

That's the message that Warwick's Diane Mattera wants to send to the rock band Great White, which last week announced a nationwide concert tour to raise money for victims of The Station nightclub fire.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

The defendants are Denis Larocque, the West Warwick fire inspector; state Fire Marshal Irving J. Owens; the State of Rhode Island; Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, the owners of The Station and their corporation DERCO; Manic Music Management, the manager of the band Great White, which set off the pyrotechnics that caused the fire; Luna Tech Inc., which the lawsuit says manufactured the pytrotechnics used by Great White the night of the Feb. 20 fire; Luna Tech's parent company, Luna Tech Pyrotechnik GmbH; Foamex International, General Foam Corp. and American Foam Co., which, the lawsuit alleges, manufactured, marketed and sold the highly flammable foam, used for soundproofing, that covered the walls and ceiling around the stage at The Station.

Pamela Gruttadauria, Mass. General, critical condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Pamela Gruttadauria, Mass. General, critical condition.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

The defendants are Denis Larocque, the West Warwick fire inspector; state Fire Marshal Irving J. Owens; the State of Rhode Island; Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, the owners of The Station and their corporation DERCO; Manic Music Management, the manager of the band Great White, which set off the pyrotechnics that caused the fire; Luna Tech Inc., which the lawsuit says manufactured the pytrotechnics used by Great White the night of the Feb. 20 fire; Luna Tech's parent company, Luna Tech Pyrotechnik GmbH; Foamex International, General Foam Corp. and American Foam Co., which, the lawsuit alleges, manufactured, marketed and sold the highly flammable foam, used for soundproofing, that covered the walls and ceiling around the stage at The Station.

Providence lawyers Mark B. Decof, of the firm Decof & Decof, and Donald Migliori, of the firm Motley Rice, told Superior Court Judge Alice B. Gibney that they felt uncomfortable continuing to represent fire victims who could have claims against the State of Rhode Island, while, at the same time, their firms are representing the state in a lead-paint suit against the nation's leading paint manufacturers.

The Health Department, meanwhile, is still learning from the disaster, but its capabilities were improved by the work it had put in to prepare for a possible terrorist attack, she said.

Requiring such public exit announcements before concerts and other events wouldn't be costly, and it might save lives, witnesses have repeatedly told a special legislative commission studying fire safety.

Yet, co-owner Michael Derderian apparently knew enough to purchase the required workers' compensation coverage for a gas station that he and his brother, Jeffrey Derderian, bought last October.

Gina (Catallozzi) Gauvin, 42, of Johnston, UMass/Worcester, fair condition.

PROVIDENCE -- Two prominent Rhode Island lawyers who represent close to 40 people who died or lost loved ones in The Station nightclub fire announced today that they are withdrawing from the case because of what they believe to be a conflict of interest.

News photographers trained their cameras on Ring 1 of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a flame projector shot a 12-foot pyrotechnic geyser of orange flame.

Channel 12 has decided not to air an episode of CSI: Miami, that centers around a nightclub fire triggered by pyrotechnics. The episode, called "Tinder Box," is scheduled to air Monday at 10 p.m. on CBS.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

In court papers, Cunha says he is the only person who should rightfully be appointed lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the civil suits because, he says, he has pending cases in the courts and has more experience in handling mass tort litigation than the high-profile Rhode Island lawyers who want the lead role.

But Jack Russell and Mark Kendall made no mention of those matters during their tearful, 6-minute, 23-second tribute to bandmate Ty Longley, who perished during the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick along with 98 others.

DV8, rock, Johnny Mac's Irish Sports Pub and Grill, 30 Dunham St., Attleboro. (508) 226-0901. Sun 9 pm.