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Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire (NIST NCSTAR 2) ***DRAFT for Public Comments***

Published

Author(s)

William L. Grosshandler, Nelson P. Bryner, Daniel M. Madrzykowski, K Kuntz

Abstract

A fire occurred on the night of Feb. 20, 2003, in The Station nightclub at 211 Cowesett Avenue, West Warwick, Rhode Island. A band that was on the platform that night, during its performance, used pyrotechnics that ignited polyurethane foam insulation lining the walls and ceiling of the platform. The fire spread quickly along the ceiling area over the dance floor. Smoke was visible in the exit doorways in a little more than one minute, and flames were observed breaking through a portion of the roof in less than five minutes. Egress from the nightclub, which was not equipped with sprinklers, was hampered by crowding at the main entrance to the building. One hundred people lost their lives in the fire.On Feb. 27, 2003, under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established a National Construction Safety Team to determine the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure that led to the high number of casualties in that fire. This report documents the procedures, findings, and issues raised by the investigation. ***DRAFT for Public Comments*** Final Reports -- Volume 1 http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=100988, Volume 2 http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=100989.
Citation
National Construction Safety Team Act Reports (NIST NCSTAR) - 2
Report Number
2

Keywords

fire investigation, NCST, nightclub fire, sprinklers, egress, fire spread, polyurethane foam, fire modeling

Citation

Grosshandler, W. , Bryner, N. , Madrzykowski, D. and Kuntz, K. (2005), Report of the Technical Investigation of The Station Nightclub Fire (NIST NCSTAR 2) ***DRAFT for Public Comments***, National Construction Safety Team Act Reports (NIST NCSTAR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=908938 (Accessed December 6, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created March 30, 2005, Updated February 19, 2017