The death toll in the West Warwick, Rhode Island, club fire has reached ninety-seven, including Great White guitarist Ty Longley. Local DJ Mike "The Doctor" Gonsalves from WHJY-FM, who introduced the band, is also among the missing.

The Station, a 300-capacity club, caught fire late February 20th, sparked by Great White's on-stage pyrotechnics. Within three minutes the venue was engulfed in flames, with fans scrambling for the exits. More than 150 people were injured. Eighty fans are still being treated at burn units, with more than twenty listed as critical. Half of the dead had been identified over the weekend, with the remainder expected to be known today.

Investigators are testing a soundproofing foam used in the venue to see if it played a significant role in the speed with which the fire spread. More recently produced foam is flame-retardant, but older forms included polyurethane and were flammable and toxic. The club's owners have claimed that Great White did not seek permission to use pyrotechnics during the show, but the band members contend that they did. A former employee of the club told the press that the Station had hosted fireworks at previous shows.

The owners of the club -- brothers Michael and Jeffrey Derderian -- are involved in a dispute with Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch regarding the investigation. Lynch told CBS' The Early Show that the Derderians had not been answering investigators questions, a comment that the brothers denied. "Jeffrey Derderian was in the club at the time the fire broke out, and assisted in helping to evacuate the building," the statement read. "Mr. Derderian was interviewed by state and local authorities on the scene and provided all information as requested. At no time, did either owner have prior knowledge that pyrotechnics were going to be used by the band. No permission was ever requested by the band or its agents to use pyrotechnics at the Station, and no permission was ever given."

The thirty-one-year-old Longley joined Great White three years ago. The band has been performing for twenty years, reaching a popularity peak in 1989 with . . . Twice Shy, which featured a hit cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."

Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri has established a hotline number, both for those looking for information on missing friends or family, as well as for fans who survived the blaze: (401) 462-7111.

ANDREW DANSBY
(February 24, 2003)