Rhode Island Nightclub Fire A fire can happen anywhere at any time, if the conditions are right. These conditions could be, the condition of the building is in, the weather, how many people are in the structure, or what is going on inside that structure. A fire is defined as the rapid oxidation with evolution of heat and light (flame) or as an uncontrolled combustion. An investigation happens at every fire so that way the cause and origin are known (DeHaan, 2). A specific fire happened on February 20, 2003, at a night in Rhode Island. The night club is called The Station, and this club was located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and was holding a concert where the Great White performed. With all fires investigations occur looking at the fire …show more content…
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The fire, he said, started when sparks from the cutting of metal on a van inside the business ignited fuel on the floor. The van was located in the bay closest the residence, which is attached.
The Local, State and Federal agencies were called to investigate the Station Nightclub fire incident and they found many issues. The polyurethane foam that was on the interior walls was the major factor in the Station Nightclub fire. It was easily ignited and also contributed to a faster fire spread within the building. According to NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, the interior finish is required to be Class A or B for general assembly areas with occupant loads of more than 300. It has been calculated that the number of occupants at the Station Nightclub was around 440-458 people, obviously well over this limit. The ignition of polyurethane foam gave out a magnitude of smoke and heat in such a short period of time and created mass chaos, thus resulting in a crowd-wide panic towards the initial entry point. Also NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, section 13.2.3.6.1 states that the main entrance/exit shall be of a width that accommodates one-half of the total occupant load and shall be at the level of exit discharge or shall connect to a stairway or ramp leading to a street. If the owner of The Station Nightclub would have
On the Morning of November 21, 1980, a fire burned that killed 85 people, and ultimately injured more than 700 others. Typically, it has come to be known that in order for a new law, regulation, and/or ordinance to be put into place, there has to be a previous event that causes death or injury, makes the news, or basically anything that stirs the voices of the public. The 1980 MGM Grand Fire was just that. Most people remember a lot of people died in the fire and that it was the catalyst for Nevada's tough fire codes and retrofit laws that make the state's resorts among the safest places to stay (Morrison). The 1980 fire at
At 2215 hrs, on November 28, 1942, Fire Alarm Headquarters from Box 1514, situated at Stuart and Carver streets, received an alarm. When the responding apparatus arrived they found a small car fire at the corner of Stuart Street and Broadway. After the fire was extinguished the firefighters were about to return to quarters when their attention was called to smoke emanating from the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub a few doors away. Upon their arrival at the entrance of the Broadway lounge on Broadway they encountered numerous people leaving the premises admidst the cries of “fire”. The chief in charge immediately ordered that a third alarm be sounded from Alarm Box 1521 which the alarm was received by fire alarm headquarters at 2223 hrs. A
Consumer Products Safety Commission (2001) Fireworks Business Guidance Retrieved on August 24, 2014 from https://www.cpsc.gov/en/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Fireworks/
The pyrotechnics that ignited the fire were designed to spray sparks 15 feet for 15 seconds. The two that were mounted at outward angles ignited foam that had
The Station nightclub fire occurred on February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, RI. The fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, a blaze at The Station nightclub in W. Warwick, RI, on February 20, 2003. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening 's headlining band Great White, which ignited flammable sound insulation polyurethane foam in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. By this time, the nightclub 's fire alarm had been activated, and although there were four possible exits, most people headed for the front door through which they had entered. The rapidly moving fire with intense black smoke engulfed the club in less than 6 minutes. Video footage of the fire shows its ignition, rapid growth, the heavy smoke quickly made escape impossible, and the exit blockage that further hindered evacuation. The ensuing stampede led to a crush in the narrow hallway leading to that exit, quickly blocking the exit completely and resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among the patrons and staff. The toxic smoke, heat and the stampede of people toward the exits killed 100; 230 were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured. A total of 462 people were in the club, even though the club 's official licensed capacity was 404
“The Station” building was far from brand new when the 2003 fire occurred. It was used as a navy bar during World War II (Barylick 7). The building has a long history. The building became a club in 1995
In the year 2000, Michael and Jeffery Derderian bought the nightclub from Julian. Despite their lavish lifestyles, they were very frugal when it came to their business ventures. They were notorious for not being credible businessmen. It 's no surprise that they mishandled the structure that they bought. When they analyzed their investment, they noticed the foam on the walls. The Derderians decided to just place another layer of foam on the wall (Barylick 129). There were two different types of foam applied. One was polyethylene (PE) and the other was polyurethane (PU). They are both flammable and illegal on structure walls. The local fire marshal, Denis Larocque, would ignored this many times when he did inspections on the nightclub. He even increased the Station 's occupancy from 317 people to 404 people. The Derderian brothers were very happy about this because they could make more money. Larocque didn
The building was constructed in 1946, designed to be a nightclub. The same building had changed ownership and names numerous times, and had been incarnated as not just a nightclub but also a restaurant and pub. Exact numbers of occupants at the time of the fire is unknown, estimated to be between 440 to 458 persons. When the fire started at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the venue was 100 people over capacity, but "even the legal number was based on a bogus standing-room formula," (Seligson, 2013). An estimated 450 people were inside when the fire occurred (FEMA, 2011).
Keywords: Howard Street Tunnel fire, hazardous material, Incident Command System, Incident Commander, Span of Command, Command and control process
The fire happened around midnight, and roughly 200 people were inside the Soundwave nightclub, which opened in 2003 and has never had an incident before. The two victims, David Gibson and Elizabeth Oxley, were died from smoke inhalation and most injuries were injured by trampling each other when the fire happened. Soundwave installed new ceiling fans one week ago, the police will investigate if the ceiling fans are the reason of the fire.
For years if not decades, firefighters have responded to a reported structure fire that turned out to be a fully involved single room. This fire scenario requires a core set of fire tactics and skills to control and extinguished the fire, but is it this simple? Perhaps twenty years it may have been, but new dangers are lurking in every scenario and may have detrimental outcomes for unsuspecting and unaware firefighters and victims. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) agency along with the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) have been conducting research to understand fire behavior and fire dynamics. This research is providing firefighters with new information about how and why
There is some dispute to the cause of the fire, but most believe it was set by three inmates who intended to cause a distraction during dinner time, so as to make an escape in the commotion. Instead, they mistimed the ignition device which didn’t ignite until they were all locked up for the night (Latta). This idea was later cemented as the cause when two of the three men hung themselves from grief. There are still some, however, that believe the fire was a tragic accident and the prison officials used the three inmates as an excuse to avoid blame
With all of the different reasons for setting arson fires, as well as the large variance in profiles of arsonists, investigating them can be difficult. This difficulty is compounded by the amount of evidence than can be destroyed by the act of arson. Arson investigators must begin by trying to find the point of origin; a task that can be made very difficult by tossing aside the debris and damaged items while the fire is being fought (Swanson, et al. 2006). If arson is suspected, the point of origin can be a deciding factor in declaring a fire intentional, especially if the fire began in the center of the room