PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Jury selection ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Jury selection began Tuesday for the highly anticipated trial of single of the owners of the nightclub where a fire killed 100 race three years ago.

Michael Derderian is the first [i]role[/i] to stand trial for the Feb 20 2003 blaze at The Station, which began when sparks from stage pyrotechnics ignited soundproofing foam onward the club's walls and ceiling.

It was the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U history, and also injured more than 200 commonalty

Superior Court connoisseur Francis Darigan admonished prospective jurors to avoid media coverage of the trial and not to discuss the case with anyone.

"This case has breeded a tremendous public interest and will continue to do so" he said.

Derderian sat quietly beside his attorney, Kathleen Hagerty, and spoke and nothing else to give his name and date of birth.

Derderian, 45 and his brother, Jeffrey the co-owner of the company have both pleaded not guilty to 200 deems of involuntary manslaughter -- pair counts for each person killed beneath separate legal theories.

The large jury pond reflects the anticipated difficulty of selecting jurors to hear in the same state [i]or[/i] condition a high-profile case in a state in such a manner tiny that many seemed to know someone who was killed or injured in the fire, or undivided of their relatives.

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