PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — A relative of two of the 100 people killed in a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire is putting together a photo exhibit featuring portraits of dozens of people with tattoos made to memorialize the fire and its victims.
The fire started when pyrotechnics for the band Great White set fire to flammable soundproofing foam. The 10th anniversary is Feb. 20, and the exhibit runs Feb. 15-17 at the Pawtucket Armory.
Paula McLaughlin's brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Sandy Hoogasian (hoo-GAY'-zhan), were killed. They met Great White's singer at a tattoo parlor that evening and he invited them to the club.
McLaughlin says the project has allowed many people affected by the fire to talk about it for the first time.
One woman who lost her daughter said she's finally looking forward to February.
