12 Years Later: Unanswered Questions Remain About Station Fire

Friday, February 20, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocalProv Contributor

On February 20, 2003, a fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick took the lives of 100 people. 

Mike Ricardi survived, but lost his friend Jim Gahan to the fire. Ricardi, from Worcester, believes that there are still questions to be answered about the tragic event that occurred twelve years ago.

"All of these years later, because we never had the opportunity to go to trial with anybody with criminal proceedings, we never had the opportunity to figure out what really went on that night. There’s still a lot of unanswered questions about what went wrong that could’ve been avoided," said Ricardi.

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The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by Daniel Biechele, tour manager of the band Great White. The pyrotechnics ignited sound insulation foam on the walls behind the stage and the ceiling above it. The fire took less than six minutes to spread and consume the entirety of the nightclub. 

Ricardi said, “A lot of the families, a lot of people that were there like me, we never really got to the bottom of what happened. Obviously there was highly flammable foam padding on the wall, but there’s the question of whether that was noted in an inspection. Did someone get paid off? There are still a lot of unknowns to this day.”

Three Charged with 200 Counts of Involuntary Manslaughter

In December of 2003, the owners of The Station nightclub - Jeffrey and Michael Derderian- and Biechele were all charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The counts added up as two counts per the 100 deaths for criminal-negligence manslaughter and misdemeanor manslaughter. All three men plead not guilty.

Three years later, in 2006, Biechele plead guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. 

Ricardi said, "Biechele came forward. He plead guilty. He said he was going to spare the families the hurt and extend this anymore with a trial. He wanted to move on and allow everyone else to do the same. I’ve always respected him for that.”

Biechele was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with four to serve and 11 years suspended, plus three years' probation. 

“I followed the cases pretty closely. I supported Biechele. I actually wrote an impact letter to try to get him out of jail early. Many people sent letters in. He was the only one, when you really looked at everything, that took responsibility for what happened that night. The two Station owners hid behind their lawyers. He (Biechele) had a lot of public support and a lot of support from people actually involved with the fire as well. He was the scapegoat for a lot of people. A lot of people saw that and came out and defended him," said Ricardi. 

Biechele was released early from prison in March 2008.

In 2008, the Derderian brothers pled no contest. Michael Derderian received the same sentence as Biechele. Jeffrey Derderian received a 10-year suspended sentence, three years' probation, and 500 hours of community service.

Gahan and Ricardi Were There to Interview Great White

In 2003, Ricardi and Gahan were students at Nichols College and co-hosts of 'Jim and Mikey's Power Hour.'  At the time, Nichols was in the process of applying for a much more powerful license from the FCC. Their advisor suggested that we should go out on the road and do interviews to get our station name out there. They decided they would start by getting interviews from bands that were in the area.

Great White was only the second interview they did.

Biechele and guitarist Jack Russell gave Ricardi and Gahan the interview that night and comped them tickets to the show. The interview was at 7 PM that night. Just hours later, Gahan had perished in the fire.

“By the time Great White came on, since it was general admission standing, we were standing at the equivalent of what would’ve been second row from the stage," said Ricardi. "The pyrotechnics went off during the opening song. And as soon as it went off, the foam padding caught fire in the back. The way it went off so evenly and proportionally, everyone thought it was still part of the show. No one really knew what was going on.

"I remember distinctly Ty Longley looking back at the fire really concerned,” said Ricardi. “He obviously knew that the pyro should’ve been out already.”

Longley perished in the fire.

"All of the people that were standing in the front row initially cheering for the band were then trying to get Jack’s attention to the fire happening behind the band. At this point the fire was climbing up the wall and hitting the ceiling. They finally get Jack’s attention. The show just stopped. Jack says over the microphone, ‘Oh, wow...that ain’t good.’ Chaos just ensued from that point," said Ricardi.

Ricardi continued, "Initially we thought we were going to be fine. I assumed they were just going to put the fire out with an extinguisher. We made it to the back of the club within 30 seconds. Next thing you know, I turned back and the smoke had just overpowered the club. It was completely black."

"At that point, I was just trying to go with the crowd without having any idea where we were going. I got knocked down a few times. I heard glass break and saw an open window right in front of me. That’s how I got out," said Ricardi.

The Aftermath at the Station

“I get out and I still don’t know what’s really going on around me. It was a re-adjustment. I couldn’t hear anything," said Ricardi. "There were fire trucks all around. It was mass chaos in the parking lot. I turned to the window that I got out of and I was waiting for Jim. He was right behind me. Before the place went pitch black, he was right next to me."

Ricardi sat by the window waiting for Gahan to come out. A firefighter approached him and told him to get away from the building. The band’s tour bus was parked right outside of the club and they were concerned that the bus would go up in flames as well. Ricardi went to his car in hopes that Gahan got out and would meet him there.

"He wasn’t there. I saw his stuff in the front seat and that was the first time I had a bad feeling. At the time, I brushed it off. I told myself we were standing in the same spot, and if I got out, then he got out," said Ricardi. "As the next day went on, and the body count kept increasing, and he hadn’t been identified at the hospital, it began to sink in. But we didn’t get any word until Saturday afternoon."

Twelve Years Later

Since the fire, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has implemented new code provisions for nightclub-type venues including provisions for fire sprinklers and crowd management. 

"It's sad that that's how we are as a society. We are extremely reactive and we don't think about things that could happen in the future. We have to wait for a tragedy to happen before we act on a lot of things," said Ricardi. "The Station wasn't doing anything that you wouldn't find at any other night club in the country. They blocked fire entrances so people wouldn't sneak in. They over-crowded the place. We had to learn a lesson, but you could've gone into any nightclub in America that night and found the same violations.

A couple months after the fire, Ricardi was asked to speak to a task force that was put together by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. The task force was a combination of fire officials and entertainment companies assembled to fix legislation on fire procedures and provisions.

Gahan's father was at these meetings with Ricardi. 

Ricardi still keeps in touch with Gahan's parents, Jim and Carol, who live in Falmouth. At least once or twice a year, and when he's on Cape Cod, Ricardi will visit Gahan's family. 

Ricardi has been writing a memoir about his experiences that night and about how his and Gahan's friendship starts and tragically ends through their love of radio and music. It also chronicles some fun experiences and important life lessons he has learned over the years. Ricardi plans to self publish it sometime in the Spring or early Summer.

"It's difficult to comprehend that it has been twelve years. When you start thinking of going through something so tragic at a young age, it makes it more surreal that it has been that long," said Ricardi. "I've always felt honored to say I was with Jim in the end. The people who are at a real loss were the ones who never had the opportunity to know him. He made everyone around him better. My life has changed significantly since that night. I've learned to not take things for granted and appreciate each moment you have. It can be taken from you in an instant."

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