Clear Channel Offers $22 Mil To Fire Victims

A radio station owner who promoted a concert featuring pyrotechnics that started a deadly nightclub fire reached a tentative $22 million settlement with survivors and victims’ relatives, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

The deal with Clear Channel Broadcasting is the latest in a series of settlements stemming from the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick that killed 100 people and injured more than twice that many.

The fire began when pyrotechnics used by the rock band Great White ignited flammable foam used as soundproofing on the club’s walls and ceiling.

Victims’ lawyers sued Clear Channel, accusing the rock radio station WHJY-FM of promoting the concert by running on-air advertisements, distributing free tickets to the show and having a disc jockey serve as master of ceremonies and introduce the band.

Lawyers said the station knew or should have known that it was promoting a band that regularly used dangerous pyrotechnics at concerts.

Clear Channel said in a statement Wednesday that it was saddened by the "tremendous harm" caused by the fire.

"While Clear Channel had no role in causing or contributing to this fire, we are pleased to resolve these claims and, hopefully, contribute in some way to a sense of resolution for the affected victims and their families," the company said in a statement.

The settlement requires the approval of all the plaintiffs and the federal judge overseeing the case, among other conditions, the court papers said. A Duke University law professor has been appointed to create a formula for the distribution of settlement money.

The settlement also covers the radio station, according to the documents.

The tentative deal brings to more than $70 million the total amount of settlement money offered to survivors and victims’ relatives. Other defendants who have reached settlements in recent months include The Home Depot, a manufacturer of insulation material, a pyrotechnics maker and a TV station whose cameraman was accused of blocking an exit while filming the fire.

Dozens of people and companies remain part of the case, including Anheuser-Busch, members of Great White and the state of Rhode Island.