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Subscribe to RSSOne of the worst nightclub fires in history has claimed a terrible toll in the southern Brazil city of Santa Maria, with at least 233 dead by the most recent count.
Argentina, a year later. Thailand in 2008. Russia in 2009.
For survivors of a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire that was one of the deadliest in U.S. history, the fire in Brazil that killed hundreds Sunday is the latest in a series of reminders that no matter how far away, those who ignore the lessons of their tragedy can pay a horrible cost.
On a cold night in February 2003, the rock band Great White took the stage at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I. During the show, pyrotechnics set fire to flammable soundproofing foam that lined the walls and ceiling, killing 100 and injuring 200.
Over the decade since, survivors have come together time and again over news of similar disastrous fires overseas.
"We're very tight," said Todd King, one of the survivors. "You can't put into words what we saw."
He said he was woken up Sunday morning by a storm of text messages from others who survived the Rhode Island fire, asking, "Can you believe this is happening again?"
"I'm surprised nobody has learned," he said.
Another Rhode Island survivor, Victoria Eagan, said she and others noted that each of three earlier fires was caused by indoor pyrotechnics igniting with material in the building. Investigators have just begun their work in Brazil, but witnesses said a flare or firework lit by band members may have started the fire.
"I had the same reaction as the other three times," Eagan said Sunday. "We're doomed to repeat history and I wish they could learn."
In the year after the Rhode Island fire, a flare ignited ceiling foam at an overcrowded nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 194 people.
Indoor fireworks were blamed for a fire at a club in Bangkok on New Year's Eve 2008 in which 66 partygoers were killed.
And another indoor fireworks display at a nightclub in Perm, Russia, ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches, killing 152 people in December 2009.
In Rhode Island, the Station fire brought about sweeping changes to the state's fire code with one intent: Never again.
Sprinklers are now required in nightclubs and bars with occupancy limits of 100 or more, nightclub workers must be trained in fire safety and more money was set aside for fire safety classes in schools.
Rhode Island also banned pyrotechnics in all but its largest public venues and local fire marshals were enabled to order immediate repairs and write tickets for violations.
Eagan said the changes were necessary in Rhode Island.
"I wish it would spread to other countries," she said.
A deadly blaze overseas does not seem so distant because of the Rhode Island tragedy, Eagan said.
"It's a tragedy that hits close to home," she said. "It's maddening to see it happen again."
In an emailed statement, the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, which is building a memorial to those affected by the 2003 fire, compared the two fires.
"One cannot help but notice the similarities between this tragedy and the Station nightclub fire that occurred nearly 10 years ago," the group said.
RELATED: Brazil nightclub inferno: Locked door trapped patrons?
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We learn for while, then we forget. The Coconut Grove fire killed over 400 and the lessons learned there were all but forgotten.
I
wouldn't go that far. The Cocoanut Grove fire created sweeping changes in fire
codes. No more single revolving doors without outside opening doors flanking
the revolving doors. And no more emergency exits that open inward. Also
emergency exit lights that were no longer hidden or partially covered and
powered from the same current as the rest of the building. So no. The lessons
weren’t forgotten. That tragedy caused major reworks of fire laws.
The Coconut Grove fire is part of institutional memory in Mass for sure, but were the code changes made outside of Massachusetts? I grew up and lived most of my life in Mass and am still flummoxed when I encounter an inward opening door in a public building, most recently in British Columbia and Quebec but also in many US locations.
So they created stricter laws to avoid this kind of thing? What a novel idea.
I bet no one batted an eye when state, local, and federal governments put some laws in place and changed fire codes to prevent this type of tragedy here in the US. Just don't try to take away semi-automatic assault style weapons. That will upset people.
smoke on the water....bum bum bum...
It was ten years ago... get over it
Some people thrive on drama. I agree totally with you. They just love the attention.
You need to get over yourself! These peoples lives were permanently altered by this event. They saw friends die. They saw skin melted off of bodies. And many of them went broke from the medical costs as the eventual settlement with the insurer did not cover many costs. And it was all because of total negligence.
I attended shows at that club when it was under a different name in the 80's. The biggest problem was the exit door was on the side and had metal gating around the door to divide who was coming in and out. If you headed toward to back the only way out was near the restrooms and that was padlocked. From reports the gating blocked many from escaping and it became intensely hot. Would have been a nightmare to be caught in that place when it went up in flames.
Ever been in a fire guys? Get burned over 25, 50 or 80 percent of your body? Once you do let me know how quickly you "get over it".
Congratulations, Navy and Joe. You've just won the "Unfeeling Bastard of the Year" awards for 2013.
I gather neither of you has lost anyone close to you by death, disease, trauma, or other misadventures?
Whaaa Whaaa Whaaaa
NAVYVET98 - you should be ashamed of yourself. Did you ever serve in combat? Did you have friends that served in combat that were killed? How long did it take YOU to get over it?
He probably just stayed on the ship cleaning the latrines or serving slop in the mess.
Obviously Joe and Navy are just looking for attention... the posts add nothing to the discussion.
Jane just because we both agree that it is time for people to move on and stop being attention whores and our opinion does not jive with yours does not mean it is not a valid opinion.
Get real. Those are not valid opinions anywhere. Hard to tell who the trolls are around here.
Bugsy, Naval vessels don't have latrines, it is the Army that uses the word latrine. Put your brain in gear before engaging mouth.
voxrations tell me why they are not valid? Please to be explaining yourself.
Joe,
It's got nothing to do with being an "attention whore". It's got to do with memories you can't forget, screams you can't unhear, and sights you can't unsee. You want a taste of what these people dealt with? Here you go ... step inside their nightmare from 10 years ago ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOzfq9Egxeo
Except it wasn't a nightmare ... it was real ...
Jerk
Thanks Dan that just gave me something for the spank bank. Steve personal attacks are not allowed here
Ban fireworks..... (sarcasm)
^^^^^ NRA sent "Lisa" here ^^^^^^^^^
Absolutely. Certain types in certain places. That's what they did and guess what? It's worked.
@Suhgarim They banned all types of guns in Australia and violent crime is way up.
Navyvet98, are you claiming that whenever anyone grieves over 9/11? Just curious.
They may be insensitive, but whether for good or bad, all things do fade with time. Not many people giving moments of silence for the Titanic. Even more recent events like Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and even the Oklahoma City bombing and are being less and less remembered. I think their comments are proof of the way people are, in general, which reinforces what the article is saying. When people forget, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over again.
When you see bands such as Kiss or Rammstein who typically play in bigger-sized barns, it still makes you wonder if something like that could happen in a bigger venue as well as in a nightclub with lower ceilings.
Unfortunately there are too many has been bands that are still trying to claw at former glory and use elements of their shows that they did in larger venues when they were 'somebodys'.
This clouds judgement and you get results like Great White created at The Station club.
The bigger venues are generally fire-resistive (Type I) or non-combustible (Type II) construction according to fire code. This makes it very unlikely for that to happen. Not impossible, due to interior furnishings and coverings, but these places are designed knowing that thousands of people will be assembled there, so fire prevention measures are paramount. The smaller clubs are usually wood frame or lightweight building construction that may have been converted for larger assemblies. Therein lies the problem. They were never designed to accommodate large amounts of people getting in and out like the big arenas. And in foreign countries, all bets are off.
The really depressing thing is that Great White was never a band that used pyro, so I can't see why they felt that had to do so for a small club show.
It is unfortunate for all that we permit the low life attorney's to decide what they will prosecute. If it not a sure win, they are not interested since the Governor's political position will soon be pending and that is where they are sure that they belong. I say indict the attorney for non performance of duty. Toss his worthless butt into prison where he belongs.
It's not just The Station...my grandpa survived the Cocoanut Grove.
It mystifies me that 70 years later, people are still locking exit doors at nightclubs.
I did not know the Exit door was locked. That should be illegal to do that, they are thinking about security in a sense, but what about safety. There needs to be another way out of these establishments. All these establishments needs more than one entrance/exit in the event of a fire, shooting, etc.
Yeah but we wouldn't want to make that a law or mandatory or anything. We shouldn't even have capacity limits. Bars should be allowed to pack in as many as they can so they can make more money. We have rights dammit.
"Baby's on fire and I'm burning up. Sparks been flying and she can't get enough" - Baby's on Fire. (my favorite Great White song)
I can't believe the crap that I'm reading here. I'm outta here before I catch stupidity......I hear it's much worse than the flu.
too late
I thought this was an article about how awesome Great White is.
Stop bringing up old incidents like this. Congress will want to make a new law to get news coverage.
^^^^^^^^^ NRA plant ^^^^^^^^^^
Yep, cause we need more pyrotechnics in those little bars. More and larger. It's great business for the people who sell pyrotechnics. Not so healthy for the dead bar patrons though.
This is a terrible human tragedy. My heart and soul go out to those who have passed away, God rest their souls. My prayers of health go out to the victims in the hospitals, may God heal you to bring you home to your families. Anyone remotely involved with this incident will be traumatically scarred psychologically, my prayers are with you all as well. My concern also goes out to everyone involved in the Rhode Island nightclub fire from the past, as this is too much to relive again. Everyone please pray for healing. God Bless you all..........
this a shame, this had to happen again. The U.S. definately needs to have fire safety at these clubs after that tragedy in R.I. But overseas, it takes one tragedy to happen before they wake up. 300, my God, that is a lot of people. I wonder did they have more than one exit/entrance to the club. An awful way to go, to be trapped like that in a fire.
Part of the problem was that the bouncers at the Brazilian nightclub, not realizing what was happening ( ? ) wouldn't let the patrons leave until they showed that they had settled their tab. Probably a few more lives could have been saved.
Even if the building is on fire you still need to pay for your drinks.
Ever since The Station, I check exits & the location of the biggest part of the crowd in any venue, large or small, (but especially the smaller ones) upon entry & plan escape routes accordingly. The most vital part of the lesson is that individuals must be vigilant, & not rely on venue owners or government codes to protect them from such accidents. Venue rules or government codes can be implemented with the best intentions, but a lack of foresight. Individuals must protect themselves.
What's to learn, seriously? What is the probability you'll be killed in a night club fire?
Politicians are never willing to solve these problems they only want to put a spin on things and use it to promote their agendas.
Too bad these places are not filled with Politicians when they go up in Flames
well,,,we better ban night clubs,,or at least reduce capicity to 7 or 10 patrons.....
pretty soon obama will have us in mittens along with those chains he put us in....whats next??
spoons for making us fat....
stairs,because people fall down them....
add this one to your list.
Texas, because it is the most useless state in the union.
I recall the STATION NIGHTCLUB fire vividly as I lived thru it here in R.I.
The real tragedy is the massive cover-up by corrupt democRAT politicians that the locals continue to reelect with help from leftist media (Providence Urinal, and the Mainstream media). Noone- Except one of the owners went to jail.... Not the corrupt fire officials who got BRIBES. Not the corrupt BUILDING OFFICIALS who took bribes. Not the corrupt politicians who looked the other way. Noone except a patsy....but, that's how things run here. That's why we're a dying, shrinking state. Sad. Sad. Sad.
Dude, it's all about money. We humans are incredibly greedy, and often callous towards others in the pursuit of it. Most likely this was the cheapest and most profitable way to run this club - fire safety be d@mm#d!
What stupid law allows pyrotechnics indoors ? Smoking probably isn't allowed in the same places that allow indoor pyrotechnics. Stupid kills.
Exactly
Probably packed in like sardines in a can. People make bad decisions. Obviously this was one of those...
Pyrotechnics? Indoors? On a stage in a social club? 2000 people packed together? Drinking?
A formula for disaster all the way around... My guess is that many had no clue what was happening until it was way too late. Then its every man for him or herself.
You can't fix stupid! Here's a piece of advice bands (coming from a former drummer). no pyro inside idiots!
What business would allow fireworks in an enclosed building anyway? Only thing on their mind was making another buck and to heck with peoples lives. And the building is on fire and they want the people to pay their tab??...just saying
There were fires before the Rhode Island one. The way you did not learn a lesson, is the same way these new casualties didn't.
Coconut Grove Night Club. Boston, Mass. 1942 during the war. 492 killed. Crepe paper caught fire around an indoor stage and all doors were locked shut to keep people out. One door open at the front.
The fire inspectors should go to jail - if there are any in Brazil.
Not sure if they have any, but show people set up stages all the time with this garbage, so it's hard to catch.
I'm a fire marshal and we require any show coming to our venue to not only have a permit, but I have to sit next to the guy launching the fireworks. We also have an engine on standby at the doors behind the stage.
I get tired of the whining when trying to enforce codes.
Profit ,profit,profit, what else is there to know. The owners of what ever club burned this time like the ones from the past only worry about the amount of cash at the end of the night