US man admits role in fire deaths

Local TV footage caught the moment the flames took hold

A former rock group tour manager has admitted involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of 100 people in a nightclub fire in the US state of Rhode Island.

Daniel Biechele, 29, pleaded guilty to lighting pyrotechnics without a licence at The Station club in West Warwick, in February 2003.

He will spend no more than 10 years in jail because of a plea bargain.

The two brothers who owned the club have denied involuntary manslaughter and are yet to face a trial.

In addition to those who died, more than 200 were injured in the blaze.

Biechele's sentencing will be on 8 May.

Consumed

Biechele admitted at a court in Providence to setting off the pyrotechnics during a set by the heavy metal band Great White.

The fire started after flammable soundproofing was ignited.

The blaze took hold with devastating speed, licking up curtains and foam covering around the stage as many in the crowd mistook the flames for part of the stage show.

West Warwick fire chief Charles Hall said at the time the entire club was consumed by flames within three minutes.

In their rush to escape, people had neglected to use three fire exits and some had been trampled in the scrum, he said.

Some of the bodies in the blaze were so badly burned they could be identified only by DNA.

Biechele faced 200 charges of involuntary manslaughter but 100 were dropped in the plea bargain - a move that has angered some of the relatives of the victims.

Brothers Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, who are accused of installing the foam, both still face 200 counts.