Survivors of Two Nightclub Fires Echo Alarming Lessons

Sun Jan 18 2026 13:28:38 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A heartbreaking recount from survivors of the devastating Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island and a similar tragedy in Switzerland raises urgent safety questions about nightclub regulations and emergency responses.

Gina Russo, a survivor of the 2003 Station nightclub fire, shares her chilling experience of escaping a deadly blaze that took her fiancé's life. This tragedy resonates with the recent fire in Switzerland, raising critical conversations about fire safety and preparedness in crowded venues. Experts discuss the dangers of indoor pyrotechnics and the rapid spread of fire, emphasizing the need for better safety measures to prevent such disasters from repeating. Both incidents prompt a reconsideration of how we respond to fire emergencies and the importance of maintaining safety standards in entertainment venues.

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 fiancé 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 fiancé had saved her life but had lost his in the fire.

Some 22 years on, there was a near-identical event at Le Constellation bar in Switzerland on New Year's Day 2026. At The Station nightclub, 100 people died and at Le Constellation, 40, mainly young people, lost their lives. Survivors of both fires have severe burn injuries.

The two disasters highlight critical safety issues related to indoor pyrotechnics, and experts stress the urgency of enforcing better safety standards in venues to prevent future tragedies.

Gina and Phil still live with the scars they received in The Station fire, emphasizing the need for improved fire safety awareness and emergency preparedness in crowded places.