Posted on 02/21/2003 1:33:16 PM PST by FreeTally
Here is a first hand account that is from www.metal-sludge.com
This email was just sent into us by Sludgeaholic George Dionne. It's a chilling account of what he experienced at the Great White show last night.
My name is George Dionne. I was at the Great White show on February 20th at The Station in Rhode Island. I would like to share with you my personal account of what can only be described as a tragedy. I warn you that my descriptions may be upsetting, but it affected me immensely. I was standing approximately 5 rows back from the front of the stage. If you've seen the video footage, I was one step behind the camera man as the tape begins. The band took the stage around 11PM. A small fireworks display ignited. It was a fan-like display. It lasted about 10-15 seconds. When it died down I could see that the back wall had started to catch fire. The walls that surround the stage area were covered with a foam, egg-crate, sound-proofing material. At the site of the first flame I knew something was wrong.
I made my way towards the only exit I knew of, the front door. The exit was approximately 500-700 ft. away from my position. I could hear people laughing and cheering at the flames, I assumed they thought it was part of the show. I was yelling at people to get out the door as I made my way out of the club. I looked over my shoulder and saw that the flames had shot up the sides of the walls and was now engulfing the ceiling. It was spreading FAST! At first the crowd was calm, but as the flames spread, I found the space around me shrinking. People were now panicking and rushing for the front door. The club was filling up with toxic smoke as I cut a sharp left to get out the door. I could not see anything at this point. I began choking on the smoke. I could not see the exit, but I knew it was in front of me. The flood of people finally pushed me through the door. I made my way to the parking lot.
I looked back and saw the stage section of the club engulfed with flames. The other half of the club was filled with black smoke. I could hear people screaming and windows breaking. I saw people breaking the windows and diving out. I returned to the building to help get the people out. When I returned to the front door, I could not believe what I was looking at. There were 35 or so people stuck in the door way. They were stacked in rows on top of each other, at least 7 rows high. Black smoke was pouring out above them. You could see that there were people behind them as well. A small group of people were pulling at the people in the pile to try and move them. I jumped up on the ramp and grabbed an arm. I pulled and pulled with all my strength just to try and move them. There were others helping me, but we could not move anyone. The smoke was getting really think and starting to choke me. I continued to pull. The smoke was just too much for me, I had to let go of the arm. It was the toughest decision I had to make and I am still trying to cope with it. I stepped away from the building as I watched the smoke start to cover my view. It was at this point I dropped to my knees and prayed. I not as religious as I could be, but I needed to do it. I thanked my God for saving me. I prayed for the people still trapped inside. As I got up to leave, I saw the most horrifying image.
The flames had made there way to the door way. The people on the top of the pile were on fire. There was nothing anyone could do for them. I watched as the fire grew around these poor, helpless people. I broke down right there. I could see them suffering and there was nothing I could do. I left the club as the Fire Department arrived. I did not want to get in their way. I drove down the street, but had to pull over, because I was so distraught. I called my wife and told her how much I loved her. I called everyone that I love and told them that I loved them. I spent the whole night thinking about what had happened. I did not sleep. Everytime I thought about it, I cried. I shook all night. I still shake a little as I type this. It upsets me everytime I repeat my story. I regret so much that I could not help more. However, I am so glad to be alive.
I know it people say it all the time, but I ask that you remind your loved ones how much you love them. You really don't know if it will be the last time you see them. I feel blessed that I have a loving family and dear friends. I do not blame Great White or The Station for what happened, it was just a tragic accident. I can only image the grief and suffering that these people are going through. My prayers are with the injured. My prayers are with the families of those who did not make it. I am comforted in knowing that the deceased are in a better place.
George Dionne
Any *normnal* person whould have written "I was at the Great White show last night ..."
A poorly written fabrication overall I might add.
Mind you, this band was "big" in the late 80's, when I was in college.
I'll bet 90% of the folks at that show were at least 33, and there would be more than a few professionals who dig that stuff who attended.
I still plan on going to one more Rush concert before I die.
I seem to remember a lot more people in a crisis in lower Manhattan on 9/11/01 and never heard of even one instance of people trampling each other or of the "punching and scratching" I heard one of last night's survivors talk about on the news today.
And as someone who was among the tens of thousands running for our lives when the south tower collapsed, I know the abject fear, the not knowing what was going on or if we were going to die right there -- and the lack of "survival of the fittest" attitudes. Nobody was trampled, nobody was punched and scratched that day.
I'm not in any way at all blaming the victims -- in fact, I have some idea of the horror, fear and confusion they must have felt -- but I do know that in major, life-threatening crises, large groups of people *can* think and act rationally, and I was just responding to the person who said that isn't possible.
Ironic that frozen foam recently killed 7, and burning foam killed 95. Tragic.
Right. It's about 20 minutes from me. I was just a young'n when it happened. What year was that? My neighbor worked there, but was off that night. My wife's uncle was one of the fireman who responded to the fire. The club sat up on a hill, and he said that some people were coming down it, still burning. The most horrifying sight he'd ever seen.
The hill has since been excavated, and there is now a doctor's building in the leveled-off area - for 5 or so years. I still get the creeps when I go past there on Hwy. 27...
ding ding ding, we have a winner. No more calls please.
From the land of "Dumb and Dumber". Although there are a lot of smart folks in that area.
Exactly!!! Since those are very possible descriptions of either a rock-band-stage-crew, or a typical night-club manager....it doesn't matter what kind of care society expects them to take, individuals should not assume that these people have made responsible decisions about their safety.
What concerns me about this is the apparent crowd mentality that seemed ignorant of the danger. If the walls are on fire, proceed to the fire exit. GET OUT! Don't assume that someone responsible will tell you to evacuate the building, or that someone in authority will escort you to safety!!
I think what is horrific is not the catastrophic fire caused by irresponsible actions of the band/bar, or that some people were killed by others panicking, but the real tragedy was that at least a few dozen people were needlessly killed by their own delayed reaction.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.