ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Rhode Island is so small, local and close- knit, it seems as if it's populated by a huge and affectionate -- if sometimes squabbling -- extended family.

That's why the impact of the catastrophic fire at The Station nightclub will reverberate beyond the immediate loved ones of the people who perished. Rhode Islanders will be devastated and generations to come will talk of this terrible event.

CNN.com - A real place, where everybody knows your name - Feb. 22, 2003