Band Lawyer Says Nightclub Wanted Pyrotechnics

new york times ^ | 2/28/03 | PAUL von ZIELBAUER

[Jorge]

I find it a lot easier to imagine another group setting The Station on fire, with disastrously fatal consequences, than imagining Great White's pyrotechnics causing a fatal fire in any reasonably-safe venue.

So Great White should be able to set off pyrotechnics requiring at least 15 ft ceilings on stages where the ceiling is less than 10 ft high, and any "reasonably safe" club should be able to handle this.

And these clubs should have everything made out of fire-proof materials so that Great White should be able to continue to show up and set of their pyrotechnics without permission...as several other clubs said they have done in the past.

I don't think so.

In any case we don't have to imagine anything when it comes to what killed these 97 people...we saw videos of Great White set off their pyrotechnics, which lit the place on fire and burned the building to the ground.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Since I was correct in calling you a retread, wanna tell us who you used to be?

I'm fine today, how are YOU? ;0)

[bonfire]

"What was the comment?"

My mistake. You hadn't made a comment. Yet.

[Lauratealeaf]

LOL! You have a very amusing profile page! Love the photo of the armadillo. I actually saw a dead armadillo in the middle of the road one day in Oklahoma. It had a beer bottle arranged on top of it.

[ARCADIA]

I find it a lot easier to imagine another group setting The Station on fire, with disastrously fatal consequences, than imagining Great White's pyrotechnics causing a fatal fire in any reasonably-safe venue.

This club had been around for many decades. It even operated with the foam insulation for a number of years before the tragic fire. The club must have passed several fire inspections during this period; even after the foam was in place. Clearly if the band had not burned the place to the ground, both club and patrons would have been enjoying another Friday evening rather then laying in ashes.

It doesn't matter whether the owners of the club had specifically requested fireworks (which I doubt), the band would still be criminally negligent. The low ceiling was obviously low, the fire extinguishers were obviously not on hand, and the foam was certainly visible to everyone. With or without permission, firing fireworks on that stage, was an act of criminal recklessness.

[Jael]

I'm doing great, thanks for asking!!!

[supercat]

So Great White should be able to set off pyrotechnics requiring at least 15 ft ceilings on stages where the ceiling is less than 10 ft high, and any "reasonably safe" club should be able to handle this.

Sorry I was unclear. I didn't mean to say such pyrotechnics could be shot without consequence, rather that in a reasonably-safe club the consequences should not have been fatal. Having a club burn to the ground as a result of GW's fireworks would not exactly make them popular even if everyone got out, but there's no way anything short of lighting off a gallon of gasoline should have caused that sort of carnage.

[supercat]

It even operated with the foam insulation for a number of years before the tragic fire.

According to another article, the foam had glitter applied, though it didn't specify the adhesive. Since some adhesives are exceptionally flammable this could have been a major triggering factor. Does anyone have any pictures that would show whether the glitter was applied in any sort of pattern? I'm wondering if earlier pyrotechnics in the club managed to avoid hitting any areas that were covered with inflammable adhesive.

[supercat]

In any case we don't have to imagine anything when it comes to what killed these 97 people...we saw videos of Great White set off their pyrotechnics, which lit the place on fire and burned the building to the ground.

Even in a well-constructed building, use of fireworks inappropriate to the venue would pose a significant risk of starting a fire, and even in a well-constructed venue there would be a risk that such a fire could cause severe damage to the building or even destroy it completely.

What is not so reasonable is that sparks from a gerb should be able to start fires that within about five seconds would be uncontrollable by people with class 2A fire extinguishers, and in less than three minutes would cause flashover.

Imagine, hypothetically, that someone were to crash a Yugo into the Empire State Building and less than three minutes later the whole building collapsed. Would you blame only the driver of the car, or would you also blame the building?

[Jorge]

What is not so reasonable is that sparks from a gerb should be able to start fires that within about five seconds would be uncontrollable by people with class 2A fire extinguishers, and in less than three minutes would cause flashover.

I saw a lot more than "sparks". It looked like a couple of freakin blow torches starting that fire.

Yes, it climbed the wall and started spreading across the ceiling rather quickly..but the band was still playing during the video..they were not trying to put it out until it was already out of control.

Anyone who's witnessed fires knows that they can flare up and spread incredibly fast...even without an accelerant present...and can kill a person quickly.

I saw a friend of mine catch fire, and it spread from his legs to the top of his head in a few seconds. He panicked and started to run, I knocked him to the ground and put him out in about 5-10 seconds. And he was still so critically burned that he spend over 2 months in the hospital..had to have skin grafts etc.

I don't know how unreasonable it was for this fire to spread so quickly in a open space.

But I do know the band is responsible for setting it.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

[supercat]

I saw a lot more than "sparks". It looked like a couple of freakin blow torches starting that fire.

Those weren't blowtorches. That was the back wall igniting from the sparks. Went up so quickly many people on the scene probably mistook the burning wall for pyrotechnic torches.

[supercat]

Thank you Supercat. Reality bites but it is what is real.

Would you agree that walls should not have gone up like that when exposed to sparks? Even if someone had tried to touch a lighter to the foam it shouldn't have gone up like that.

[Hank Rearden]

Would you like to share anything the Lord has done for you?

The Lord saw to it that I survived 50 or 60 Dead shows.

Does that count?