Uhh, think again...
Band's Use of Pyrotechnics Checked
By STEVE STRUNSKY
Associated Press Writer
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The investigation into the Rhode Island nightclub fire now involves at least four states where club owners say the band Great White used pyrotechnics without permission. Authorities say sparks apparently hit the ceiling during a concert in Maine just two days before the tragedy.
The band's stage show is believed to have started Thursday's fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., that left nearly 100 people dead. The band has said it had permission to use pyrotechnics, a claim disputed by the club's owners.
Club officials in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Maine also say the band failed to notify them it was going to use pyrotechnics at shows earlier this month. Investigators have met with club officials in at least three of those states.
Special effects at Great White's show last Tuesday apparently caused sparks that touched the ceiling of Russell's club in Bangor, Maine, state fire marshal Sgt. Stu Jacobs said Monday.
Discarded canisters used during the performance indicated a minimum ceiling height of 15 feet was required. Jacobs said the ceiling was actually 10 feet and the 30-inch stage further reduced clearance.
The fountain-type special effects shot sparks into the ceiling, witnesses told investigators, but there was no fire because the suspended ceiling tiles were flame resistant, Jacobs said.
Three of the canisters used in Bangor have been turned over to the fire marshal's office. Investigators don't know if they're the same type as the ones used in Rhode Island, Jacobs said.
The club's owner, Alex Gray, told authorities the special effects were used without consent, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Band management officials said last week the band always checked with event managers before using pyrotechnics. And managers of other venues where the band played this year said Great White complied when asked not to use the special effects.
Domenic Santana, owner of the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, said he told New Jersey State Police investigators Great White used special effects without permission at their Feb. 14 show.
Santana said the band's contract and other documents did not mention pyrotechnics and that stage managers didn't see the effects when they set up the band.
Sgt. Kevin Rehmann, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police, confirmed the interview with Stone Pony employees but refused to discuss details.
Rui Farias, director of marketing for the Pinellas Expo Center in Pinellas Park, Fla., also said the band used fireworks at a Feb. 7 show without informing the venue or promoter, Past 2 Present Productions.
"If they would have brought up the pyro to use we would have OK'd it," said promoter Tim Bryant, adding the size of the 5,000-seat venue minimized the risk. "At a nightclub, it should never have been used."
Bryant said he had been contacted by law enforcement officials from the West Warwick Police, Rhode Island State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
The band also allegedly used pyrotechnics without notice at its Feb. 13 show in Allentown, Pa., according to Crocodile Rock Cafe owner Joe Clark. It could not immediately be determined Monday whether investigators had questioned cafe officials.
AND - the article you posted indicated that improperly used pyrotechnics did not start a fire in another club because the material surrounding the stage in THAT club was fire-retardant.
B) The back wall of the stage was lined with cheap, highly-flammable packing material as a substitute for acoustic foam. Is that the band's fault? NO. Is it a fire code violation? YES.
Maybe you need to think again.