Station Fire Memorial Park is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

located in the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. It was created and dedicated following

The Station nightclub fire The Station nightclub fire occurred on the evening of February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening's headlini ...

that occurred on February 20, 2003, resulting in 100 deaths and 230 injuries, and is located on the same property where the fire took place. It was officially dedicated and opened to the public on May 21, 2017.

History

The park was created in memory of the victims affected by a nightclub fire that occurred on Thursday, February 20, 2003 in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The fire was caused by

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

set off by the tour manager of the evening's headlining band

Great White Great White is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band peaked with several albums during the mid-to-late 1980s, including the platinum-selling records '' Once Bitten'' (1987) and '' ...Twice Shy'' (1989), and those albums ...

, which ignited plastic foam used as sound insulation in the walls and ceilings surrounding the stage. As of May 2017, it is the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in US history. It resulted in 100 deaths and 230 injuries. Many of the survivors developed

posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

as a result of psychological trauma. Following the investigation of the event, the site of the fire was cleared of all materials, structures, and debris, and a multitude of crosses were placed as memorials, left by loved ones of the deceased. On May 20, 2003, nondenominational services began to be held at the site of the fire for a number of months. Access remains open to the public, and memorial services are held each February 20. In June 2003, the Station Fire Memorial Foundation (SFMF) was formed with the purpose of purchasing the property in order to build and maintain a memorial for the victims of the event. In September 2012, the owner of the land, Ray Villanova, donated the property of the site to the SFMF. By April 2016, $1.65 million of the $2 million fundraising goal had been achieved and construction of the memorial had commenced. The memorial dedication ceremony took place on May 21, 2017.

References

{{Reflist Monuments and memorials in Rhode Island The Station nightclub fire Parks in Rhode Island