Jury to hear evidence in recent nightclub fire

WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- Members of the band Great White have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury that will investigate the nightclub fire that killed 97 people last week, authorities said Tuesday.\nThe grand jury will convene today, law enforcement authorities said on the condition of anonymity. One official also said investigators have searched the home of one of the club's owners.\nInvestigators have been trying to determine who is to blame for Thursday's inferno, which was apparently sparked by the band's pyrotechnics and swept through the one-story, wooden building in just three minutes. The band has said it received approval to use the special effects, but the club's owners have denied giving permission.\nKathleen Hagerty, an attorney for the Derderians, said the brothers provided information to West Warwick police and have arranged to share information with the attorney general.\nThe pyrotechnics apparently set fire to soundproofing behind and above the stage. State law bars flammable acoustic material like polyurethane foam from the walls of gathering spaces like bars.\n"If it was (polyurethane), then the governor's going to want an answer to the question, 'Why was it there?'" said Gov. Don Carcieri's spokesman, Jeff Neal.\nPaul Vanner, who described himself as a sound engineer and stage manager at the club, told The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald he warned Michael Derderian three months ago that pyrotechnics were being used by bands in the club and the practice should be stopped.\nSoundproofing experts who have seen video of the disaster say they believe the material used at the Station was polyurethane foam, a commonly used, inexpensive alternative to fire-resistant panels many experts prefer.\nThe club passed a fire inspection Dec. 31, but it wasn't clear if the soundproofing material was checked or would normally be looked at during a routine inspection. Fire Chief Charles Hall declined to comment on the investigation.\n"It's true that some good may come from this disaster, but the event itself is only tragic and will never make sense," said the Rev. John E. Holt of the Rhode Island Council of Churches. He saluted families for their "quiet courage."\nThe governor ordered state agencies to fly the Rhode Island state flag at half-staff. Carcieri also asked President Bush to declare the fire a state disaster, which would make Rhode Island eligible for federal aid.\nAbout 80 survivors of the blaze remained hospitalized Monday; about half were listed in critical condition.