A ride for children of R.I. fire victims

Motorcyclists will rev up for 76 miles

PROVIDENCE - Motorcycles will cross the state today in the second annual charity ride to benefit children of the 100 people who died in a nightclub fire.

The Station Education Fund was founded by the owners of The Station in West Warwick and aims to cover education costs for the more than six dozen children who lost one or both parents in the February 2003 fire. The fire began when pyrotechnics used by the 1980s rock band Great White ignited highly flammable soundproofing foam around the stage.

The 76-mile "Revving Up for Kids" motorcycle ride starts at Tollgate High School in Warwick and ends at Excalibur Power Sports in Plainfield, Conn. The entrance fee for riders is $30 for drivers and $10 for passengers.

The fund was founded by club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, as well as their childhood friend Jody King, who lost his brother in the fire. In 2006, the Derderians pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter for illegally installing the flammable foam.

Michael Derderian was sentenced to four years in prison but is due out on parole next year. His brother was spared jail time and sentenced instead to community service and probation.

In October, fund organizers announced that seven Rhode Island colleges and universities had pledged nearly $13 million in scholarship money to children who lost a parent in the blaze.

In February, families affected by the fire reached a $30 million settlement with the Rhode Island television station whose cameraman was filming inside the nightclub when the fire broke out.

The images recorded by cameraman Brian Butler provided haunting evidence of the fire's ignition by a pyrotechnics display during a performance of the band Great White and the ensuing panic. His footage has been used extensively by criminal investigators and civil litigants.

In a federal lawsuit, Butler was accused of blocking an exit while filming, making it difficult for patrons to flee, an allegation that Butler's lawyer has previously and strenuously denied. Butler was, ironically, filming a segment about nightclub safety for station WPRI-TV, where Jeffrey Derderian worked as a reporter.