Jim Langevin: “I rise tonight with great sorrow and a heavy heart to honor the victims of last week's horrific night club fire at the…”

“I rise tonight with great sorrow and a heavy heart to honor the victims of last week's horrific night club fire at the Station Night Club in West Warwick, Rhode Island, that claimed 97 lives and left 187 injured. In any community, that tragedy would have been overwhelming; but in a small State like Rhode Island, when a close-knit town in the center of our State falls victim to one of the worst nightclub fires in the Nation's history, the impact is simply incomprehensible. It is said that in our world today, only 6 degrees separates each one of us from any other person. As our Attorney General remarked, in Rhode Island, that distance is more like 1 rac{1}{2} degrees. Everyone here has a connection to one of the victims and, indeed, connections are being made by people all across New England and the country. As Rhode Islanders begin the healing process, I want to express my deepest condolences to those friends and family members who lost loved ones in this horrible fire. There are no words to adequately express our profound sadness. Please know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of all Americans, and we will not let the lives of those 97 sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, and fathers be forgotten. As of this afternoon, 64 people remain hospitalized, 46 of them in critical condition.”