The Station in winter

Since the fire that killed 100 people ten years ago this February, I have visited the scene of the Station Nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., dozens of times, in every season. I have walked this sacred ground where these lives ended, and been transfixed every time. The site adjoins a busy road, but it always seems appropriately solemn, quiet, save for the wind that always seems to blow.

But with its clear if pale light, and the contrast of white snow against crosses and mementos, winter has always been most moving. With the settlement last year of a land dispute, the way has been cleared for a long-sought formal memorial, which one day will rise where these remembrances are now. Here are some recent photographs of the site: in January, 2013.