Warning: This article contains themes you may find upsetting
Gina Russo was watching a gig with her husband-to-be, Fred Crisostomi, one night in 2003 when she realised something wasn't right.
Great White, an 80s hair-rock band, had opened their set with a thrash of guitar chords, as four large pyrotechnic flares shot out from the stage. The flares instantly set fire to the surrounding acoustic foam panels, installed to deaden the sound.
It was immediate, Gina tells BBC News. It got bad very fast. The backflash just happened that quick.
Then came a black rain of smoke, Gina adds, the heat melting, then shattering, glass lights above people's heads. Gina and her fiance made for the nearest exit, a door to the right of the club's small stage. A bouncer blocked their way, but Gina has no idea why.
That's when a stampede began for the main exit, she says, and Fred desperately pushed her ahead in the crowd. Gina says bodies were piling up as people scrambled to get out - and her last memory was making it through the door to safety before passing out.
When she woke from an induced coma 11 weeks later, Gina learned her fiance had saved her life but had lost his in the fire.
This was at The Station nightclub in the snowy town of West Warwick, Rhode Island. Some 22 years on, there was a near-identical event at Le Constellation bar in the equally snowy ski resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland. At The Station nightclub, 100 people died, and at Le Constellation, 40, mainly young people, lost their lives.
The two disasters have striking similarities, and not only in their appalling impact on victims. Both were caused by indoor pyrotechnics, experts say. Victims appear to have had little time to find an escape route, and foam panels may have spread the Swiss fire in an identical way to The Station nightclub fire.
UK fire investigation consultant Richard Hagger was quick to compare the two tragedies. He is 99% certain the Swiss fire was triggered by the sparklers. He says if the foam had been fire retardant it would have smouldered, not burned.
In both the Rhode Island and Swiss tragedies, a flashover fire is thought to have taken hold. This is when hot air rises, but as the heat and smoke reach the ceiling, there is nowhere for it to go. So it spreads downward, quickly igniting furniture, clothes, and skin.
Phil Barr was one of the attendees at the concert that night in 2003. He recalls the lead singer's calm declaration over the PA system about the flames, shortly before chaos ensued.
As flames spread within seconds, he fled towards the exit, pushing through a throng of panicked patrons. He eventually escaped, though suffering life-threatening injuries.
Both Gina and Phil's harrowing experiences reveal the importance of preparedness and the understanding of fire risks in crowded venues. With reports of similar incidents persisting, the call for increased safety regulations and fire response protocols gain urgency. Their ongoing struggles for survival serve as a reminder of the need for vigilance and readiness in emergency situations.
