It was Feb. 20, 2003, a little after 11 p.m. when Jody King got a call from his brother Tracy’s wife who asked that he go check on Tracy at the Station Club where he was working. She heard that something was happening there and wanted to make sure that he was okay.

She had reason to be concerned, that night 100 people lost their lives, 230 people were injured, and 132 survived uninjured in a tragedy that would leave many unanswered questions even 18 year later. 

King got up, got his keys and his dog and left his house in Oakland Beach.

After making a left hand turn onto West Shore Road he approached Warwick Vets and Fire Station 3 the doors opened and a fire truck began to follow behind him as he made his way to West Warwick. 

When he passed Station 1 in Apponaug the same thing happened and he was now being followed by fire trucks from two different stations. He knew that something was definitely not good. 

Eighteen years later as a film crew was following him as he discussed what it was like that night the same thing happened.

I couldn’t have asked to have this happen,” King said. 

The film crew was part of the weekly news magazine CBS show 48 Hours, which will premiere an episode about the Station Night Club Fire Saturday night at 10 p.m.

Jeff and Michael Derderian, the former owners of the Station Club, will be featured in the episode.

“My brother and I have said all along that we wanted all of the facts to come out, not just some of them, and we would do everything we could to ensure that all of the outstanding questions about our roles in this terrible tragedy are answered,” Jeff said in a statement prepared by Michael and himself on Wednesday morning. 

The episode stemmed from a book written by author Scott James titled “Trial By Fire” A Devastating Tragedy, 100 Lives Lost And A 15-Year Search For Truth.

“We were both interviewed for the book, Trial By Fire, which took over 10-years to write and publish and it is factually accurate.  We encourage people to draw their own conclusion after reading it,” The Derderian brothers wrote in a statement. “ The publishing of the book then led to CBS and 48-Hours contacting us to participate in their program.  We had no say in the editorial content of the book or the 48-Hours program. No questions were off limits - and we agreed to answer every question.  We were not provided the questions in advance and we have not seen what will air on Saturday night.”

“We did not receive any compensation to tell our story from the book author or from CBS.  We will receive no compensation whatsoever from the sale of the book,” they went onto state. ”We participated because we want everyone to have a more complete understanding of what happened in the days leading up to that horrific night and in the weeks and years that followed.  Readers and viewers can decide if they got the full story and the truth from the then Attorney General and the government.”

James, an author and journalist who grew up in Rhode Island but currently lives in California said during a virtual event in April that he wanted to be able to explore what happened and bring to light some unanswered questions. 

“When I would come back [to visit family in Rhode Island] people would say, ‘You know, I’m not sure we ever got the full story because there were never any trials,” James said. “And people had the sense that justice was never served. I heard this for many, many years and after a while I decided I would start to ask some questions to answer their concerns.”

Following the tragedy, the Derderian brothers along with former Great White’s tour manager Daniel Biechele were each charged with involuntary manslaughter. Biechele pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years but was released early on parole. Both Jeff and Michael Derderian plead no contest to avoid trial. As part of the plea deal Michael was sentenced to 15 years at the ACI with four years to serve. Eleven years were suspended and he was sentenced to serve three years of probation when released. Jeff was sentenced to 10 years in prison, which was suspended and was placed on probation for three years and required to complete 500 hours of community service. 

On the night of the tragedy the rock band Great White performed at the Station Club. At the beginning of the show the tour manager launched pyrotechnics, which lit the acoustic foam on the walls on fire, trapping people in the building. 

James told the virtual crowd in April that in his book he detailed the fact that the building was not properly inspected, in addition to the foam insulation being highly flammable, the building not having any fire sprinklers and it being over capacity. 

King is one of those who lost a loved one who is featured in the book. 

Best friends

Aside from someone who lost a family member, he along with his brother Tracy have been lifelong best friends with the Derderian brothers. 

King said that despite the tragedy that hasn’t changed. 

Not long after the tragedy King along with the Derderian brothers created the Station Education Fund, which provides educational assistance for the 76 children who lost one or both of their parents in the tragedy. He said that they have raised almost  $13 million dollars so far. 

“My reason for doing this is so that no one forgets my brother, Tracy, and the hero that he was that night. That's my main reason for this, he pulled nine people out of that fire in ninety seconds,” King said. “I want to make sure everybody in Rhode Island remembers what he did and who he was on top of being Michael and Jeffrey’s friend,” King said. 

In addition to being in the book and the episode the Dederian brothers will use social media to help answer questions people may still have about what happened. 

“To be as transparent as possible, we will have a Facebook page set up after the broadcast where people can ask us questions directly @ Station Nightclub Answers,” the brother said in a statement. “ There will be documents the public has never seen before and other materials along with extended interviews with us answering more questions.”

According to the Derderian brothers they will watch the episode for the first time with millions of others across the country when it plays Saturday. They said in a statement that no matter what is in the episode they just hope it's the truth. 

“The most important thing is that the show be fair and provide an accurate accounting of what happened that night and the roles each person, including ours, played.”