DERBY — A new podcast from a former fire chief will look back at the River Restaurant explosion, the 1985 Derby disaster that took the lives of six Valley residents.
“The Volley Chief” podcast was recently launched by David Lenart, a former Derby Fire Department Chief. Lenart’s father, Thomas, then a Derby police officer, was the first person on scene at the Main Street blast.
The “Volley Chief” will feature a series of episodes looking back at the accident from the view of emergency responders such as police, firefighters and EMS crews.
The first episode of the series was released on Dec. 5, one day before the incident’s 38th anniversary. The first episode provides an overview of the series, and features Valley Indy reporter Eugene Driscoll as a guest.
Subscribe to Volley Chief wherever you get your podcasts.
Click the play button to listen to the first River Restaurant show.
The Valley Indy is scheduled to broadcast a River Restaurant retrospective at 8 p.m. Dec. 6 on YouTube.
This livestream will play two 1985 TV news reports covering the tragedy as it unfolded. Plus: a look back at the report issued by the National Transportation Board on how it happened, and a 2015 Valley Indy radio interview with three firefighters who were at the scene.
