NEVER FORGOTTEN
Families, friends, survivors mark a year since opening of Station Night Club Fire memorial
WEST WARWICK — Fifteen years after the fire and one year after the memorial park opened, families, survivors and members of the community gathered Sunday to remember the 100 lives lost in the Station Night Club Fire on Feb. 20, 2003.
This last year was an eventful one for the Station Fire Memorial Foundation.
Last May thousands filled the park for the much-awaited grand opening of the special monument that was many years in the making. Months later, family, friends and survivors gathered at the site once again to celebrate fed- eral fire sprinkler act legislation that provides incentives for property owners to install fire sprinkler systems on their properties.
“Our board is very grateful to the community and so many others for coming together and giving us this beautiful place to honor our one hundred,” said Station Fire Memorial Foundation President Gina Russo on a muggy but dry Sunday afternoon. “They’ve made some of us stronger. I don’t think I’d be the person I am without them and all of you.”
Reverend Donnie Anderson, executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, led the group in prayer, noting that
“My hope for you is this: that today is not a day filled of sadness, but instead a day to come together and celebrate and commemorate the lives and memories of the 100 angels as well as those who loved them – their family, friends and each person whose lives they affected.”
—West Warwick Town Council Vice President John D’Amico
the things that separate Rhode Islanders “melted away” the night of the fire.
“There is probably nothing any of us owns that is more important than our name,” Anderson said after the 100 names of those who died were read off. “And it is important that as we gather here we name the names of those who we remember and who are present with us. Sometimes in the midst of great tragedy we find great inspiration.”
Congressman James Langevin spoke about the first responders on the scene 15 years ago, and thanked them for saving as many lives as they could that night. He also talked about his effort to back the fire sprinkler legislation which Congress passed in December.
“To the first responders who helped bring people to safety – we are forever thankful for your bravery and selflessness. Without your help I know we would have suffered greater losses,” said Langevin. “Despite the grief so many of us still feel, I believe if we can prevent these fires from happening in the future then some measure of good can come from this tragedy.”
“Every time you come here different emotions wash over you,” said former Gov. Donald Carcieri. “It brings you back to that night, and those of us that were affected will never forget that. The pain is with you and it never goes away. It’s a hole that can never be filled.”
Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner said in Rhode Island it’s almost possible to not know somebody directly impacted by the Station Fire.
“For the families and friends of those whose lives were cut short, I know the heartbreak continues and it always will,” he said. “Together along with that sorrow we’re also reminded of the love, compassion and resilience of so many family, friends and neighbors.”
Former Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said that morning he’d also attended an event for Police Memorial Sunday. He spoke with officers who were on the scene Feb. 20, 2003 and said he was struck by the enormity of what those individuals faced when they showed up that cold night.
“Coming here always brings a wave of emotions,” said Avedisian. “It’s been amazing to be part of the first wave of this process and the second with getting this park to what it is today.”
Acting Warwick Mayor Joe Solomon said he was also acting mayor when the fire happened 15 years ago, and said it is a time he still has nightmares about.
“I was home with my wife watching television when I received a call from emergency personnel,” said Solomon. “They told me about the devastation and at that time I committed all city resources to addressing that fire. That is a time in my public career that I have recurring nightmares about. It’s probably the worst time of my experience in public service.”
West Warwick Town Council Vice President John D’Amico attended and spoke on behalf of West Warwick Town Council President David Gosselin Jr.
“My hope for you is this: that today is not a day filled of sadness, but instead a day to come together and celebrate and commemorate the lives and memories of the 100 angels as well as those who loved them – their family, friends and each person whose lives they affected,” said D’Amico.
Anderson closed the ceremony by stating that the names of the 100 who died will never be forgotten, “not by God nor by us.”
“Those of you who survived this fire carry forth out of your pain deliverance for others,” she said.