Rhode Island Affiliate Pulls 'Tinder Box'

See Also: 'Tinder Box' Episode Guide

CBS's Rhode Island affiliate Thursday announced it will not be airing Monday's episode of CSI: Miami.

WPRI-TV said in a statement it decided not to show "Tinder Box" because of the episode's "striking similarities" to a fire at a West Warwick nightclub on February 20, the Associated Press reported.

In the West Warwick incident, a pyrotechnics display reportedly started a blaze at The Station nightclub which killed 99 people and injured nearly 200 others. According to CBS's official synopsis, the CSI: Miami instalment will also revolve around a nightclub fire sparked by pyrotechnics, but the blaze "may have been arson to cover up a murder".

"Out of respect for the victims, their families and the Rhode Island community, WPRI-TV will not air the episode," the affiliate said. WPRI-TV will fill CSI: Miami's 10:00 p.m. timeslot with portions of a concert held in Providence last month to raise money for those affected by the tragedy.

CBS senior vice president of communications Chris Ender told the Associated Press "Tinder Box" was developed prior to the West Warwick night club blaze. "We respect the right of the station to determine what is appropriate to broadcast in its local area," he said. "Obviously, this event had some parallels to a very terrible tragedy."

The full Associated Press news item can be found here at Yahoo! News.

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