Death toll in nightclub fire rises to 96

At least 96 people died and nearly 200 were injured when a US nightclub erupted in flames after a rock band’s pyrotechnics display sprayed the stage with sparks.

Many of the audience at the The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island failed at first to realise that the fireworks display had got out of hand and kept cheering even as flames shot towards the ceiling.

Within three minutes, many of them were dead, burned or crushed in their frantic fight to escape the old wooden building. Nearly 200 more were injured, 35 critically.

Club officials said they had not given the band, Great White, permission to use pyrotechnics, a claim echoed by at least four other venues where the band played in the past month. The band disputed the accusations, and Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch said authorities were investigating.

Many concertgoers yesterday were caught off-guard as they slowly realised the fire was not part of the show. Many were badly burned and others were trampled in the rush to escape, in large part through a single door.

“I never knew a place could burn so fast,” said Robin Petrarca, 44, who was roughed up in the scramble to escape. She said the smoke was so thick she could not see an exit just 5ft away.

It was the deadliest US nightclub fire since 165 people were killed at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, in 1977. It also came less than a week after 21 people were killed in a stampede at a Chicago nightspot.

The capacity of The Station was 300, but the number of victims and survivors indicated more were inside. The death toll rose steadily yesterday as firefighters picked through the smoking ruins of the single-storey building.

“This building went up fast – nobody had a chance,” said Governor Don Carcieri, who rushed back to the state from a trip to Florida.

Under the glare of floodlights, a dozen firefighters and other law enforcement officials used rakes to sift through the rubble last night as they searched for evidence and belongings of the victims. A corner of the building was still standing, along with the marquee, still advertising Great White’s appearance.

Late yesterday, the governor said seven of the dead had been identified. At hospitals around the region, anguished relatives pleaded for help in finding loved ones they feared were lost in the club.

Patricia Belanger stood trembling outside Rhode Island Hospital, clutching a photo of her daughter, Dina DeMaio, who was working at the club as a waitress to earn some extra money for herself and her seven-year-old son.

Ms Belanger said she had not been able to find her daughter and was unable to tell her grandson about his mother’s possible death.

“He knows his mother didn’t come back,” she said.

The fire was apparently touched off by pyrotechnics moments after the ’80s hard-rock band kicked off its show.

A TV cameraman doing a story on nightclub safety recorded the unfolding disaster, beginning with the fireworks, followed seconds later by bright orange flames climbing curtains and soundproofing behind the stage. In moments, the stage was enveloped in a bright yellow haze among those missing late yesterday was guitarist Ty Longley.

Lead singer Jack Russell said he started dousing the fire with a water bottle but could not put it out. Then all the lights went out.

“All of a sudden I felt a lot of heat,” Russell said. ”I see the foam’s on fire. ... The next thing you know the whole place is in flames.”

At least 25 bodies were found near the club’s front exit. Fire Chief Charles Hall said some victims were trampled.

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

Fire officials said the club had passed a fire inspection on December 31, but did not have a city permit for pyrotechnics. The building, which is at least 60 years old, was not required to have a sprinkler system because of its small size.

The pyrotechnics were used without permission, said Kathleen Hagerty, a lawyer representing club owners Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, who are brothers.

Russell said the band’s manager checked with the club before the show and that the use of pyrotechnics was approved.

The owner of a well-known New Jersey nightclub said Great White failed to tell him they were using pyrotechnics for a Valentine’s Day show.

“Our stage manager didn’t even know it until it was done,” said Domenic Santana, owner of the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. “My sound man freaked out because of the heat and everything, and they jeopardised the health and the safety of our patrons.”

Concert organisers or their spokesmen also said Great White used pyrotechnics during three other shows without discussing it with promoters or the venue.

The Rhode Island show was part of a nationwide tour. Officials at other clubs said Great White asked before using pyrotechnics and complied when they were turned down.

Nearly 190 people were taken to hospitals in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with burns, broken bones and complications from smoke inhalation. The ages of the victims ranged from the teens to the late 30s.