Indiana mourns 5 who died in stage collapse

Nathan Byrd was known as a daredevil, a wiry stagehand who would take on jobs no one else wanted. But one thing scared him: the quality of the canvas roof covering the stage at the Indiana State Fair.

Byrd was working 20 feet above the stage Saturday night when a wind gust estimated at 60 to 70 mph toppled the roof and the metal scaffolding holding lights and other equipment. The stage collapsed onto a crowd of concertgoers, killing Byrd and four others.

As the fair reopened Monday, investigators and the families of the dead and injured were seeking answers to hard questions: Was the structure safe? Why were the thousands of fans not evacuated? Could anything have been done to prevent the tragedy?

State fair officials have not said whether the stage and rigging were inspected prior to Saturday's show. Fair spokesman Andy Klotz said initially that the state fire marshal's office was responsible for inspections but on Monday said he wasn't sure whose job it is.

A spokesman for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said neither the fire marshal nor Homeland Security officials conduct inspections.

Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the state fire marshal are looking into the accident. Officials said the investigation could take months.

As they investigate, inspectors will be looking for any structural or design flaws in the stage. Another issue is whether fair organizers responded quickly enough to forecasts of an approaching storm, especially because another concert nearby was canceled because of the weather.

Fair officials have not said whether the stage and rigging were inspected before Saturday’s show. A spokesman for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said that neither the state fire marshal nor Homeland Security officials conduct inspections. The city does not have the authority to inspect items on state property.

As yesterday’s service drew to a close, five young people lined up in front of the stage holding bouquets as the victims’ names were read aloud. Four died at the scene: Alina Bigjohny, 23, of Fort Wayne; Christina Santiago, 29, of Chicago; Tammy Vandam, 42, of Wanatah; and Glenn Goodrich, 49, of Indianapolis. Nathan Byrd, a 51-year-old stagehand from Indianapolis who was atop the rigging when it fell, died overnight.

The fair reopened after the service, and spectators quietly streamed to the grounds.

First Sergeant Dave Bursten of the Indiana State Police said the lack of damage to structures on the fair’s midway or elsewhere supported the conclusion of the National Weather Service that an isolated, significant wind gust caused the rigging to topple.

Meteorologist John Hendrickson said Saturday’s gust might have been channeled through the stage area by buildings on either side of the dirt track where the stage fell.

The owner of Mid-America Sound Corp., which installed the rigging, expressed sympathy for the families of those killed or injured. Kerry Darrenkamp said the company, based in Greenfield, Ind., had begun “an independent internal investigation to understand, to the best of our ability, what happened.