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Live From...
Interview With Fire Survivor
Aired February 21, 2003 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Imagine a fire racing through the tiny building you are in and everyone pushing to get out. Well, that is just what happened last night in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and not everyone made it out alive.
Let's go again to our -- CNN's Jason Carroll. He is on the scene -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it was literally -- what? Just two minutes ago that we spoke, and I told you that the death toll had risen to 75.
We've just now been given another update. The death toll now stands at 85. Eighty-five people dead, and that number still could rise even more. Most of the bodies, we are being told, are being found in the area near the front door, also near the stage area, and out on what used to be the dance floor.
Want you to take a look right now at a live picture of what investigators are doing to recover the bodies at this point. Take a live look at what's left of a very popular nightclub here in West Warwick called The Station. This is where a very popular heavy metal band called Great White was playing last night, used some sort of pyrotechnic display. There was a fire. People simply could not get out. There was panic. People stepping on each other to try to make their way to an exit, trying to make their way out of the flames.
Joining me right now -- I know this is very difficult. Are you OK?
ERIN PUCINO, FIRE SURVIVOR: Yes, I just didn't know it was 85 people.
CARROLL: I'm terribly sorry. This is Erin, Erin Pucino. She was inside last night. This is very difficult. If you can't continue, Erin, just let me know. We can do this later or even not at all.
PUCINO: OK.
CARROLL: You all right?
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: Can you just tell me what happened last night, as you were trying to make your way out of The Station? PUCINO: Everybody was pushing, trying to get to the front door, and they just kept pushing, and it was like a big wave of people just floating towards the front door. Then when we got to the front door, somebody fell, and then everybody fell, on top of them and there was just a big, huge pile of people at the front door just piled on top of each other.
CARROLL: And is that where you were? How were you able to get out?
PUCINO: A man pulled me out. There were two girls standing at the railing and they tried pulling me and they couldn't get me, and then there was a man standing in front of me and he started pulling and he got me out. He pulled me out of the pile.
CARROLL: I know that you went to the club with two of your friends. Both of your friends in the hospital at this point.
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: How are they doing?
PUCINO: They have really bad burns over a lot of their body. I mean they got third-degree burns, second degree burns.
CARROLL: Surely at this point you must be thinking to yourself, Thank God I'm alive, thank God I made it out.
PUCINO: Oh, yes. I mean, I -- I mean I just heard from you about the 85 people that didn't -- and I didn't know there were that many people.
CARROLL: All right. Erin Pucino, thank you very, very much. Really appreciate it. I know this is very emotional, very tough for you. I just want to let you know we do appreciate you taking the time to talk to us on such a difficult day.
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: Are you all right?
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: All right. Thank you very much. Erin Pucino, again, obviously very upset, very emotional.
Obviously a lot of sadness out here in this community, Kyra. Also, a great deal of anger as well, and that is because several hours after the fire, it became known that the owners of the club did not have a permit necessary for pyrotechnics to be used inside the club, but there seems to be discrepancy about was permission granted, was permission not granted.
The band leaders say that permission was in fact granted, that they asked the club owners, is it all right if we use these pyrotechnics, is it OK if we use it in our show, we don't need to use it. And then they were told that it was all right.
But that's not the story that we're getting from the owners of the club. They released a statement just a short while ago. If I can read just a short portion of it for you.
It says, "The owners of the club, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, are devastated and in shock over these events which have claimed the lives of so many."
That statement goes on to say that no permission was requested to use pyrotechnics during the performance. So this is obviously one part of the investigation that the fire marshals are going to have to figure out, and that is, was permission granted? Was permission not granted?
But one fact is clear, the club owners did not have a license to use pyrotechnics inside the club -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Jason Carroll in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 21, 2003 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Imagine a fire racing through the tiny building you are in and everyone pushing to get out. Well, that is just what happened last night in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and not everyone made it out alive.
Let's go again to our -- CNN's Jason Carroll. He is on the scene -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it was literally -- what? Just two minutes ago that we spoke, and I told you that the death toll had risen to 75.
We've just now been given another update. The death toll now stands at 85. Eighty-five people dead, and that number still could rise even more. Most of the bodies, we are being told, are being found in the area near the front door, also near the stage area, and out on what used to be the dance floor.
Want you to take a look right now at a live picture of what investigators are doing to recover the bodies at this point. Take a live look at what's left of a very popular nightclub here in West Warwick called The Station. This is where a very popular heavy metal band called Great White was playing last night, used some sort of pyrotechnic display. There was a fire. People simply could not get out. There was panic. People stepping on each other to try to make their way to an exit, trying to make their way out of the flames.
Joining me right now -- I know this is very difficult. Are you OK?
ERIN PUCINO, FIRE SURVIVOR: Yes, I just didn't know it was 85 people.
CARROLL: I'm terribly sorry. This is Erin, Erin Pucino. She was inside last night. This is very difficult. If you can't continue, Erin, just let me know. We can do this later or even not at all.
PUCINO: OK.
CARROLL: You all right?
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: Can you just tell me what happened last night, as you were trying to make your way out of The Station? PUCINO: Everybody was pushing, trying to get to the front door, and they just kept pushing, and it was like a big wave of people just floating towards the front door. Then when we got to the front door, somebody fell, and then everybody fell, on top of them and there was just a big, huge pile of people at the front door just piled on top of each other.
CARROLL: And is that where you were? How were you able to get out?
PUCINO: A man pulled me out. There were two girls standing at the railing and they tried pulling me and they couldn't get me, and then there was a man standing in front of me and he started pulling and he got me out. He pulled me out of the pile.
CARROLL: I know that you went to the club with two of your friends. Both of your friends in the hospital at this point.
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: How are they doing?
PUCINO: They have really bad burns over a lot of their body. I mean they got third-degree burns, second degree burns.
CARROLL: Surely at this point you must be thinking to yourself, Thank God I'm alive, thank God I made it out.
PUCINO: Oh, yes. I mean, I -- I mean I just heard from you about the 85 people that didn't -- and I didn't know there were that many people.
CARROLL: All right. Erin Pucino, thank you very, very much. Really appreciate it. I know this is very emotional, very tough for you. I just want to let you know we do appreciate you taking the time to talk to us on such a difficult day.
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: Are you all right?
PUCINO: Yes.
CARROLL: All right. Thank you very much. Erin Pucino, again, obviously very upset, very emotional.
Obviously a lot of sadness out here in this community, Kyra. Also, a great deal of anger as well, and that is because several hours after the fire, it became known that the owners of the club did not have a permit necessary for pyrotechnics to be used inside the club, but there seems to be discrepancy about was permission granted, was permission not granted.
The band leaders say that permission was in fact granted, that they asked the club owners, is it all right if we use these pyrotechnics, is it OK if we use it in our show, we don't need to use it. And then they were told that it was all right.
But that's not the story that we're getting from the owners of the club. They released a statement just a short while ago. If I can read just a short portion of it for you.
It says, "The owners of the club, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, are devastated and in shock over these events which have claimed the lives of so many."
That statement goes on to say that no permission was requested to use pyrotechnics during the performance. So this is obviously one part of the investigation that the fire marshals are going to have to figure out, and that is, was permission granted? Was permission not granted?
But one fact is clear, the club owners did not have a license to use pyrotechnics inside the club -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Jason Carroll in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
