More than five years after 100 people were killed when a pyrotechnics show went awry at a Great White concert, the '80s rock band has agreed to pay $1 million to the fire's survivors and to the families of the victims, according to reports.
The February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island, was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. History and started when the band's manager lit pyrotechnics that ignited cheap soundproofing foam. Many of the victims were overcome by fumes or trapped in a crush to exit the club.
Great White manager Daniel Biechele pled guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was released on parole earlier this year after serving half of a four-year sentence. No band members were charged with any crime.
The band, which lost guitarist Ty Longley in the incident, denied any wrongdoing as part of the $1 million settlement. The money will be distributed among the more than 300 plaintiffs in the case. Chris Fontaine, the mother of one of the victims, told Rolling Stone she thought the band was "getting off easy."
Earlier this month, the state of Rhode Island and the town of Warwick settled with the victims and their families for $20 million.
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