Report: Pyrotechnic Firm Said It Warned GREAT WHITE Before Rhode Island Concert
February 2, 2007Stephen Kurkjian and Megan Tench of The Boston Globe report:
The owner of the company that supplied the pyrotechnic devices that ignited the deadly Station nightclub fire told a Rhode Island grand jury he had warned the band's manager to "stay away" from using the equipment because some clubs were too small for safe use.
Randy Bast, owner of High-Tech Special Effects in Memphis, told the grand jury he had tried to persuade Daniel Biechele, manager of the GREAT WHITE rock band, to purchase nonigniting devices for the band's concert tour, which began a month before the West Warwick fire that killed 100 people Feb. 20, 2003.
"I told him to stay away from pyrotechnic devices," Bast said. "He had indicated to me that they were going into smaller venues, and I tried to put him towards" nonigniting equipment.
Biechele, however, went ahead and purchased $1,743 worth of the devices — called gerbs in the business — which produce a 15-foot spray of sparks for 15 seconds. Biechele also disregarded his directives, Bast said, that the devices be ignited by a licensed technician, that local fire officials approve their use, and that fire extinguishers be readily available.
Read the rest of the article at The Boston Globe.
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