The Station Nightclub Fire

The Station Nightclub Fire

The Station Nightclub Fire occurred in West Warwick, Rhode Island, in 2003. The fire began when the tour manager of Great White, the headlining band, set off pyrotechnics that spread through the soundproofing foam at the back of the stage. The flames quickly moved to the ceiling, creating billows of smoke and a panicked race for the front door. There was no automatic fire sprinkler system to put out the flames, and of the 404 nightclub occupants, 100 were killed and 200 were injured. The club did not have an automatic fire sprinkler system to extinguish the fire, and most of the victims died at the primary entrance where the rush of frantic spectators created a logjam at the front door. Although the club was at capacity, it was not overcrowded, so failed escape attempts were not a result of the overcrowding of the nightclub. Instead, they resulted from the fact that people neglected to use exit routes other than the front door. For this reason, Campus Safety and Security and FPS have teamed with the Student Government, Texas State Fire Marshal’s office, and Lower Colorado River Authority in the Have an Exit Strategy campaign, to heighten awareness among nightclub and party goers that, “The best way out may not the be way in.” http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/occupancies/nightclubs-assembly-occupancies/the-station-nightclub-fire