Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Investigation Continues Into Rhode Island Nightclub Fire

Aired February 23, 2003 - 08:00   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on our top story. In Rhode Island today, relatives will visit the charred ruins of a nightclub that became a death trap for 96 people. To offer some privacy, the governor has ordered a flight ban for air space within five miles of the site. Our Whitney Casey joins us now live from Rhode Island with the very latest. Good morning, Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. And yes, today will be the first time that family members of those 96 victims will be able to come to this site and stand where we're standing right now. This is what's left of the nightclub. Now, all the cars from the people and the victims that were here have now been removed and taken away, and family members will be here with state officials touring the site. They will have all day without media being here, and they will be able to come like this man is right now, and pray or leave flowers for their loved ones.

Right now, 81 people are still unidentified. They've identified 15 people and one Jane Doe that was in a Massachusetts hospital. Now, the state is working around the clock with pathologists examining bodies, and using that material to match up to database with dental records.

But these families, their anguish has now turned to anger. They want answers, and they were getting some in the form of the club owner, Jeffrey Derderian, who was very emotional yesterday. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY DERDERIAN, NIGHTCLUB CO-OWNER: It was a total shock to me to see the pyrotechnics going off when Great White took the stage at approximately 11:00 p.m. Thursday night. As we said in the statement released yesterday, at no time did my brother or I have any knowledge that pyrotechnics were going to be used by the band Great White.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY: Now, the attorneys of Great White yesterday in Los Angeles had a rebuttal. They maintain that the band had expressed consent two weeks in advance verbally from the club owners. Let's listen to what the lawyers of Great White said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ED MCPHERSON, BAND'S ATTORNEY: There were very specific conversations between the tour manager and the club -- one of the club owners about the special effects being used. The club owner gave them permission to use it. The other club owner, who I understand is his brother, was actually there while they were setting it up, and now they're saying that they don't -- they didn't have any prior knowledge of this and have any idea they were going to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY: Now, two Boston newspapers, "The Boston Globe" and "The Boston Herald" both report that other bands have come forward and say that they have played here at The Station using pyrotechnics just like the ones that Great White used, and they have pictures of this. "The Boston Herald" reporting that a band called Loving Cry says that they've played here dozens of times using those same pyrotechnics, and they've had expressed verbal commitment from club owners.

Again, though, 81 people are unidentified and unaccounted for here and family members will now be able to come to this site so they can mourn their losses -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Whitney, my understanding is that you cannot get permission from club owners for pyrotechnics. You have to have a permit for that, but also, even if this was a verbal agreement, is there anything being said about why there was nothing in writing?

CASEY: Well, the band maintains that they had a verbal agreement from the club owners that they could use pyrotechnics, and they assumed -- this is according to the band -- that because of this verbal agreement that then the club owners went with fire marshals and got that permit. So you're right. But in Rhode Island, there are very strict rules for those permits, and those include fire marshals actually coming to the club to analyze the site to make sure it's OK to use those pyrotechnics, and as of right now Rhode Island officials say that never happened.

COLLINS: All right. Whitney Casey. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this. Thanks very much.

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 23, 2003 - 08:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on our top story. In Rhode Island today, relatives will visit the charred ruins of a nightclub that became a death trap for 96 people. To offer some privacy, the governor has ordered a flight ban for air space within five miles of the site. Our Whitney Casey joins us now live from Rhode Island with the very latest. Good morning, Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. And yes, today will be the first time that family members of those 96 victims will be able to come to this site and stand where we're standing right now. This is what's left of the nightclub. Now, all the cars from the people and the victims that were here have now been removed and taken away, and family members will be here with state officials touring the site. They will have all day without media being here, and they will be able to come like this man is right now, and pray or leave flowers for their loved ones.

Right now, 81 people are still unidentified. They've identified 15 people and one Jane Doe that was in a Massachusetts hospital. Now, the state is working around the clock with pathologists examining bodies, and using that material to match up to database with dental records.

But these families, their anguish has now turned to anger. They want answers, and they were getting some in the form of the club owner, Jeffrey Derderian, who was very emotional yesterday. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY DERDERIAN, NIGHTCLUB CO-OWNER: It was a total shock to me to see the pyrotechnics going off when Great White took the stage at approximately 11:00 p.m. Thursday night. As we said in the statement released yesterday, at no time did my brother or I have any knowledge that pyrotechnics were going to be used by the band Great White.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY: Now, the attorneys of Great White yesterday in Los Angeles had a rebuttal. They maintain that the band had expressed consent two weeks in advance verbally from the club owners. Let's listen to what the lawyers of Great White said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ED MCPHERSON, BAND'S ATTORNEY: There were very specific conversations between the tour manager and the club -- one of the club owners about the special effects being used. The club owner gave them permission to use it. The other club owner, who I understand is his brother, was actually there while they were setting it up, and now they're saying that they don't -- they didn't have any prior knowledge of this and have any idea they were going to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY: Now, two Boston newspapers, "The Boston Globe" and "The Boston Herald" both report that other bands have come forward and say that they have played here at The Station using pyrotechnics just like the ones that Great White used, and they have pictures of this. "The Boston Herald" reporting that a band called Loving Cry says that they've played here dozens of times using those same pyrotechnics, and they've had expressed verbal commitment from club owners.

Again, though, 81 people are unidentified and unaccounted for here and family members will now be able to come to this site so they can mourn their losses -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Whitney, my understanding is that you cannot get permission from club owners for pyrotechnics. You have to have a permit for that, but also, even if this was a verbal agreement, is there anything being said about why there was nothing in writing?

CASEY: Well, the band maintains that they had a verbal agreement from the club owners that they could use pyrotechnics, and they assumed -- this is according to the band -- that because of this verbal agreement that then the club owners went with fire marshals and got that permit. So you're right. But in Rhode Island, there are very strict rules for those permits, and those include fire marshals actually coming to the club to analyze the site to make sure it's OK to use those pyrotechnics, and as of right now Rhode Island officials say that never happened.

COLLINS: All right. Whitney Casey. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com