With three more of those injured dieing over the weekend the deathtoll of the Rhode Island club fire is now 99. Some of those who survived the blaze have been talking to the US press. "With this experience, you just have a whole new outlook on life and how much you have to appreciate it," student Mike Ricardi, who lost a friend in the fire, told reporters. "In the future, if I think there's any kind of danger, any kind of safety hazard, I'm not going in. It's just going to trigger too many bad thoughts. I'm going to be a lot more cautious of my surroundings and just make sure I'll be safe in a club."
Talking about the fire he said: "At first we thought that maybe they'd have a fire extinguisher. But then when that egg crate sound proofings went up it was like a toxic black smoke, and it spread in seconds. When I first felt that smoke and heat on me, it was just unbearable. I'm thinking this is life or death now; this is a very bad situation. I've got to do everything I can to get out of here. You literally could not see anything - I just got forced with the crowd. I couldn't even tell you if my feet were on the ground at that point. I was being moved with them and I had gotten knocked down for a second, which looking back could have been one of the best things. I was getting some fresh air."
Once outside the venue he says: "There was a lot of chaos. I tried to keep my cool. I was more in a state of shock. I tried to keep my composure. It didn't really last that long after I realized how badly I was burned and that I couldn't find my friend yet ‹ not so much panic but worry. Did he make it out? Did he not make it out?"