Is that
this great white?
The Station nightclub fire
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The Station nightclub fire
Date February 20, 2003 (2003-02-20); 14 years ago
Time 11:07 p.m.
Location West Warwick, Rhode Island, US
Coordinates 41°41′03.5″N 71°30′39″W / 41.684306°N 71.51083°W / 41.684306; -71.51083Coordinates:
41°41′03.5″N 71°30′39″W / 41.684306°N 71.51083°W / 41.684306; -71.51083
Cause Ignition of
acoustic foam by use of
fireworks
Deaths 100
Non-fatal injuries 230
The Station nightclub fire occurred on Thursday, February 20, 2003, in
West Warwick, Rhode Island, killing 100 people and injuring 230. The fire was caused by
pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening's headlining band
Great White, which ignited plastic foam used as sound insulation in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. A fast-moving fire with intense black smoke engulfed the club in 5½ minutes. Video footage of the fire shows its ignition, rapid growth, the billowing smoke that quickly made escape impossible, and the exit blockage that further hindered evacuation.
[1] The toxic smoke, heat, and the resulting human crush toward the main exit killed 100; 230 were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured. Many of the survivors developed
posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of psychological trauma.
[2]
It was the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in US history, killing 100 people, and the second deadliest in
New England, surpassed by the 1942
Cocoanut Grove fire which resulted in 492 deaths.
