we have our SECOND "death club" this week


http://news.yahoo.com/new...tclub_fire


R.I. Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 39

By AMY FORLITI, Associated Press Writer

WEST WARWICK, R.I. - A nightclub erupted into flames during a pyrotechnics display at a rock concert, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 150 as mobs of concertgoers frantically rushed to escape the raging fire. It was feared the toll would climb as firefighters sifted through the charred shell of the building, said West Warwick Town Manager Wolfgang Bauer.



The fire broke out across the ceiling above the band, and quickly spread over the crowd, filling the building with thick, black smoke. The entire club was consumed by flames within three minutes, West Warwick Fire Chief Charles Hall said Friday.


He said the club had recently passed a fire inspection, but didn't have a permit for pyrotechnics. There was no sprinkler system.


Most of the bodies were found near the front exit, some of them burned and others dead from smoke inhalation, Hall said. He said some appeared to have been trampled in the rush to escape.


"They tried to go out the same way they came in. That was the problem," Hall said. "They didn't use the other three fire exits."


The blaze broke out at about 11 p.m. during the first song of a Great White concert at The Station in West Warwick, about 15 miles southwest of Providence. A fireworks display that was part of the show apparently ignited the ceiling and sound proofing behind the stage, and flames quickly engulfed the club.


"All of a sudden I felt a lot of heat," said Jack Russell, the band's lead singer. "I see the foam's on fire. ... The next thing you know the whole place is in flames."


He said he started dousing the fire with a water bottle but couldn't put it out, then all the lights went out.


"I just couldn't believe how fast it went up," he said.


Hours later, only a blackened shell of the one-story building was left.


It was the second deadly U.S. club disaster in four days. Early, Sunday, 21 people were killed and more than 50 injured during a stampede in a Chicago nightclub that began when a security guard used pepper spray to break up a fight.


In Rhode Island, more than 160 people were taken to area hospitals, Bauer said. Firefighters worked through the morning Friday to pull charred bodies from the building as onlookers watched — worried about missing friends.


"They were completely burned. They had pieces of flesh falling off them," said Michelle Craine of West Warwick, who was waiting to hear about a friend who was missing. "It was the worst thing I've ever seen."


Chaos erupted moments after the fire started. Witnesses said dozens of people dashed toward the door, and some of those who escaped were later seen staggering into a triage center. Rescuers carried dozens of people on stretchers.


Hundreds of firefighters and police from across the region and dozens of ambulances were on the scene. Rescuers were pulling badly injured victims from the fire as ladder trucks poured water over the flaming skeleton of the building.


"It was calm at first, everyone thought it was part of the act," said John DiMeo, who was sitting at the bar near the front door when the fire started. "It happened so fast."


Russell told WJAR-TV he checked with the club's manager before the show and the band's use of pyrotechnics was approved. He said he felt the heat of the flames while on stage.


"This place went up like a Fourth of July," he said.

The club has passed a fire code compliance inspection Dec. 31 in order to get their liquor license renewed, Hall said. He said no sprinkler system was required because of the building's size, but a license would have been required for the pyrotechnics.

The allowable capacity for the show was 300, but Hall said there were fewer people than that inside.

Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri, who was in Stuart, Fla., to attend a governors' conference, said he planned to return to the state Friday morning.

"Our hearts go out to all of them. Our hearts and prayers to all of the families that have been impacted by this. ... There's no words to describe," Carcieri said. "This is a terrible tragedy. It should not have occurred. Why it occurred is one of the questions that needs to be answered."

Great White is a heavy metal band whose hits include "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "Rock Me." The band emerged in the Los Angeles metal scene of the late 1980s, selling 6 million albums and earning a Grammy nomination in 1990.

They continued to tour and make albums in recent years, maintaining a strong allegiance of fans from their glory days of the 1980s.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 21 6:03:56 PST 2003 by AaronUnlimited]

I just read this online too - what the hell is going on?!! :O

Yeah, I woke up this morning, turned on the news, and this story was what they were reporting. What is really freaky is that the guy who shot all that video footage of it while it was happening, was in the club as a reporter doing a story on nightclub safety because of what just happened in Chicago!

They think the death toll could be higher as well, because they still have to go through all the rubble to look for bodies. It's weird because that very same thing just happened at The Fine Line club in Mpls. with the pyrotechnics onstage. Luckily everyone got out of that one safely.

I always have to be by an exit when I go to clubs and concerts these days because I've always been paranoid about this very thing happening. When I was younger, it never even crossed my mind to think about such things, but now for some reason, that's the first thing I look for when I enter a club or bar that I've never been in: I need to find all the exits.

I saw video footage, not to be insensitive but having an onstage firework flaming right against the low roof was really dumb.

Essence said:

true--plus the club looked like one of those hole-in-the-wall clubs as well.

ya think folks would have a bit of common sense, but oh well...

what's goin on here with all these club fatalities?

althought there werent any fatalities...dont forget about the fire that took place the minneapolis club two nights ago...at the fineline. its crazy...three clubs...in a week???

After hearing about this latest tragedy, it's very relieving that no one was hurt/died at the Fine Line. This is just too sad...

Shit usually happens in bunches in the media. I think it happens more than we know, it's just the hot topic right now. Remember pit bulls? Road rage?

...the death toll is over 50 now...so sad...

This was actually in Warwick RI and it's a 80's hair band club. All the old hairbands go there. I've been there a couple times and I can't imagine trying to get out of that place in a rush. The stage is in a different room which is pretty much closed in and the bathrooms are behind the stage area so whoever was in there at the time is probably dead.

I don't understand how the band got permission to use the pyrotechnics that they had, they were clearly much too big for a club that small. The singer described them as being "sparklers"...obviously they were not.

I hope nobody I know was involved.

SOOO glad to know you're ok, Carrie... ...heard about a "club in R.I.", and you came to mind...

These incidents make me remember some of the shows I've been to where there was a few hundred packed into a basement of a church with one exit. We would've all been dead for sure.

It's a sad day when music fans are killed at a concert because of stupidity. The count now exceeds 60 people and the guitarist is still missing.

The title of this thread "Don't go out this weekend" is pretty ignorant as well. Is that the answer? Stay in your house? With your duct tape and plastic?
[This message was edited Fri Feb 21 8:50:07 PST 2003 by JamesMarshallHendrix]

JamesMarshallHendrix said:

i think the title was kinna tongue-in-cheek, but whatevs...it's a very tragic event. i can't imagine how horrible the surviving band members must feel. From the description of the club, it sounds INSANE that they felt ok with using the pyrotechnics that they did...

endorphin74 said:

Fucking retarded is what it is...there's probably a 6 foot clearance from the stage to the ceiling. Very bad judgement on the club's part and the band's part, and it cost lives.

Now they say the death toll is 65. I just saw them interview this guy who was there, and he's still missing 6 of his friends! Can you imagine? It's just so sad.

UPDATE! 86 dead. and that's just the ones they've found in the ruins of the club. no numbers yet on deaths of those who reported to hospitals with burns.

JamesMarshallHendrix said:

Yes. Especially you. You should probably shut down your computer too, just to be safe...

more tragic than all the deaths themselves is the thought of dying in a fire or being trampled while Great White is blasting in your ears...

AaronUnlimited said:

I'll get right on that brain child. It must be nice to post tragic events with tongue-in-cheek suggestions, you insensitive dumbass

JamesMarshallHendrix said:

hey, they were at a Great White concert. nothing good could ever come of that, fire or no fire.

UPDATE! 95 dead

AaronUnlimited said:

THAT IS A MUTHAFUCKIN' BLIZZARD!!!