Monday, February 7, 2011

The Great White Fire At The Station Night Club

I was watching a re-run of VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments the other night. Having first realized that it's been updated since I last saw it, I was also drawn in again because they condensed it down to a lot quicker show - perhaps eliminating some of the time spent covering the events near the bottom of the list.

Anyway Michael Jackson's death was included this time, and I know it's been several years since I saw it for the first time.


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Included in the top-10, oddly enough behind the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG, was the tragic fire at The Station Nightclub in West Warwick, RI on February 20, 2003, in which 100 people were killed. The fatalities included headlining band Great White's lead guitarist Ty Longley.

I remember hearing about it, but don't think I ever really researched it even at all. I have ran across a video which is totally worth sharing. It's actually a very amazing video - granted it's a little tough to watch, as you can hear people screaming for their lives, and see people running out of the building on fire - but again it's truly incredible footage:

This video footage of the fire depicts its initial growth and the exit blockage which hindered evacuation. Considered to be the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people, four of whom died after being admitted to local hospitals. The fire was caused when pyrotechnic sparks ignited flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings around the stage, creating a flash fire that engulfed the club in 5½ minutes. Some 230 people were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured.



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