01:00 AM EST on Sunday, December 21, 2003

The following is a summary of reporting sources used by Michael Corkery and Paul Edward Parker for this story:

The description of the scene inside the nightclub was based on interviews with survivors of the fire and the families and friends of those who died. Last summer, more than 60 Providence Journal reporters set out to speak with the fire survivors.

In all, 208 people were interviewed. Through these interviews, the Journal was able to document how most survivors got out and, in some cases, what happened to those who died. Through this effort, The Journal was also able to establish that at least 432 people were inside The Station that night.

Information about the free samples of Budweiser came from an interview with Donald Trudeau, a salesman with McLaughlin & Moran distributors.

The description of Michael Iannone's escape was based on reports from Jane Fusco, director of news and public relations at Rhode Island College.

Information about the science of fire came from interviews with: Casey C. Grant, assistant chief engineer, National Fire Protection Agency; Jonathan R. Barnett, professor of fire protection engineering, The Center for Firesafety Studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; and "Kirk's Fire Investigation," a book by John D. DeHaan.

Dimensions of the building are based on a measurements taken by experts involved in the civil lawsuits; a memo and sketch by West Warwick Fire Marshal Denis P. Larocque, dated March 2, 2000; interviews with club employees; Channel 12's video, and photographs by Anthony Baldino III taken in the fall of 2002.

The type of windows in the greenhouse was based on interviews with nightclub employees and Michael J. Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.

The time of the fire's start was based on an interview with Anthony Bettencourt, a West Warwick police officer, that was included in a Journal story on April 13. Details of the fire's spread were based on Channel 12 video.