Suit Alleges The Station Club Too Full Before GREAT WHITE Fire

March 25, 2005

The Associated Press has issued the following report:

The Station nightclub was overcrowded the night of the fire that killed 100 people, and the owners broke the law repeatedly by allowing the establishment to exceed its legal capacity, prosecutors say.

In court papers filed Tuesday (March 22),prosecutors said there were 458 people inside the West Warwick, R.I., club when the fire occurred Feb. 20, 2003, 54 more than allowed under limits set by the town's fire marshal.

The filing is the first time the state has given its count of the number of people believed to have been inside the club on the night of the tragedy.

Many of the victims died when they were caught in a pile at the main doorway as they tried to flee the inferno, which prosecutors say broke out when pyrotechnics set off by the rock group GREAT WHITE ignited flammable foam soundproofing.

The crowd estimate is based on witness interviews and financial records seized from the company formed by The Station's owners, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian.

No trial date has been set.

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