Posted 1:42 p.m.
A federal team examining The Station nightclub fire released a progress
report today into whether structural and technical problems in the
building may have contributed to the high number of casualties.
The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and
Technology has spent months investigating the Feb. 20 fire at the West
Warwick nightclub, which was sparked by the band Great White's
pyrotechnic display.
One hundred people died, and about 200 people were injured as the fire
consumed the single-story, wooden structure in minutes.
The team's findings can be used as recommendations for changes to
building codes, standards and practices. But the results cannot be used
as evidence in any criminal trial or lawsuit related to the fire.
So far, the team has used smoke and fire behavior software to create a
preliminary computer reconstruction of the fire. The model simulates the
spread of flames and smoke through the club.
The NIST team seeks more information to refine the model in hopes of
accurately portraying the event, according to the progress report.
The team also seeks outside experts to document how the nightclub was
evacuated, consider the role of safety features and compare The
Station's evacuation with evacuations from other building fires.
The experts will build a timeline using video and photographic records,
field data, interviews and other oral and written accounts from the
building occupants, emergency responders and other witnesses.
The team will study whether more people would have survived the blaze if
sprinklers had been installed.
The team is also looking for a team of outside experts to examine the
building's structural design, updates, maintenance and requirements for
construction and fire safety systems.
The team plans to examine materials, such as flammable foam and ceiling
tiles from the club, that may have contributed to the fire's rapid
spread.
The team is also collecting data on the emergency response to the fire.
It will examine the operation of communication systems, fire alarm
panels, fire hoses and other emergency equipment.
The NIST decided to launch an investigation after visiting the fire
scene Feb. 22 and 23.
The team is working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Fire
Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, and state and
local law enforcement agencies.
DIGITAL EXTRA:
Read more about the NIST investigation into The Station nightclub fire and
other probes, including its review of the collapse of the World Trade
Center towers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack.
