MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press
WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — A memorial to mark the site of a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed 100 people is nearing completion, and organizers say it has raised more than $1.9 million out of the $2 million it needs to build it and maintain it in perpetuity.
Station Fire Memorial Foundation president Gina Russo says the memorial park is expected to be finished in October, bringing to fruition a project that has been years in the making.
Russo was among more than 200 people injured in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire, which started when pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White set fire to flammable foam that lined the inside of the club.
Russo says she is ready to be done, and says support from the community has been overwhelming.
