2016 — Dec 2, Fire, rave party in artist warehouse, Fruitvale district, Oakland, CA — 36

–36  NBC News. “Oakland Warehouse Fire: Death Toll Up to 36, Officials…” 12-5-2016, 10:45.

–36  USA Today. “Oakland warehouse fire death toll reaches 36, likely to rise.” 12-5-2016.

 

Narrative Information

 

Dec 3, East Bay Times: “Oakland — In what may be the deadliest structure fire in Oakland’s history, at least nine people died in a blaze that broke out late Friday at an electronic music party at a Fruitvale district live-work space, officials said. The fire tore through the two-story building in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. Friday during an event featuring musician Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour.

 

“Most of the nine dead were found on the second floor, and another 25 people are unaccounted for, Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed said.

 

“Firefighters said it appeared that no smoke detectors were activated during the fire and there was no sprinkler system in the  structure, the chief said….

 

“The blaze brought 55 firefighters to the scene, near the corner of 31st Avenue and International Boulevard. Battalion chief Lisa Baker said crews found flames on three sides of the building. Firefighters aggressively attacked the blaze inside the structure when conditions changed and they had to go back outside. It took an estimated four hours to bring the blaze under control. International Boulevard was closed between Derby and Fruitvale avenues. When crews first entered to fight the fire, they were impeded by clutter, mostly furniture and art. “It filled end to end with furniture, whatnot, collections,” Deloach-Reed said. “It was like a maze almost.” Crews found a “makeshift stairwell’ between the first and second floor, she said.

 

“Fire officials were waiting for a structural engineer to arrive on scene before they entered the building to do a more thorough search. The building had no sprinklers, Deloach-Reed said, and crews did not hear any smoke detectors going off when they arrived….” (East Bay Times (Harry Harris, Malaika Fraley, Matthias Gafni). “Oakland: At least nine dead after massive fire at live-work space party.” 12-3-2016. 4:14 am, updated 8:24.)

 

Dec 3, LA Times: “At least nine people died when a fire raced through an Oakland warehouse crowded with people attending a Friday night concert, officials said….

 

“The building was the site of a rave Friday night called the Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour, according to a concert Facebook page.

 

“Deloach-Reed [Fire Chief] told the East Bay Times that it appears there were no smoke detectors or fire sprinklers in the building. She said the fire may have started near a makeshift stairwell, which might have made it more difficult for people to escape….” (Los Angeles Times (Shelby Grad). “9 dead, others missing after fire races through Oakland warehouse during concert.” 12-3-2016.)

 

Dec 3, USA Today: “At least nine people are dead and 25 people are unaccounted for after a fire broke out late Friday at an Oakland, Calif., warehouse, according to multiple news reports. The fire broke out at a warehouse in Oakland’s Fruitvale district that hosts an artists’ collective during an electronic music party…. There were about 50-people believe to be inside the building at the time of the blaze, according to fire department officials.” (USA Today (Aamer Madhani). “At least 9 dead in California warehouse party fire.” 12-3-2016, 11:09 a.m. EST.)

 

Dec 24, AP: “Firefighters struggled to get to bodies in the rubble Saturday after a fire tore through a converted Oakland warehouse during a late-night electronic music party, killing at least 24 people and making the charred structure unsafe for emergency crews to enter. Officials hiked the death toll early Sunday, saying that they had searched only 20 percent of the building. At least a dozen more were missing in the rubble of the building.

 

“Officials described the scene inside the warehouse, which had been illegally converted into artist studios, as a death trap that made it impossible for many partygoers to escape the Friday night fire. And a day later, the maze of debris and devastation was complicating efforts to extract the bodies. “It was just a labyrinth of little areas. We knew people were in there, and we were trying to get them out. But it was just a labyrinth,” Oakland deputy fire chief Mark Hoffmann told reporters Saturday afternoon.

 

“He said that firefighters had to stop their search and rescue operation Saturday afternoon for safety reasons and shore up the structure, but they expected to resume later in the day. The building’s roof had collapsed into the second floor, which in places fell to the bottom floor.

 

“Oakland officials said they had opened an investigation just last month into the warehouse after numerous complaints filed by neighbors who said trash was piling up outside the property and people were illegally living in the building, which was zoned as a warehouse.

 

“Darin Ranelletti, of the Oakland Planning Department, said the city opened an investigation Nov. 13 and an investigator went to the premises on Nov. 17 but could not get inside the building. The city has not confirmed people were living inside. One survivor, however, said that 18 artists lived inside the warehouse.

 

“Bob Mule said he was one of the artists living in the collective space. He told KGO-TV that he and another person smelled smoke and spotted the fire in a back corner and started yelling. “The fire went up really, really, really quickly,” he said….

 

“Online records listed the building’s owner as Nar Siu Chor. The Associated Press could not locate a telephone number for her Saturday and efforts to reach her at other Oakland addresses associated with her were not successful.

 

“The warehouse was known as the “Oakland Ghost Ship.” Its website showed pictures of a bohemian, loft-like interior made of wood and cluttered with rugs, old sofas and a garage-sale like collection of pianos, paintings, turntables, statues and other items….

 

“It’s unclear what sparked the fire. But officials said the clutter served as a tinderbox and there were no sprinklers inside. “Something as simple as a cigarette could have started this,” Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly said, adding that people either escaped from the building or died inside, where the only way down from the second story was via a stairwell constructed entirely of wooden pallets. “It appears that either you got out or you got trapped inside.”

 

“By nightfall Saturday, rescue crews had recovered nine bodies from the building and said about two dozen were still unaccounted for. None of the nine dead have been identified. About 50 to 100 people were believed to have been at the party when the fire started around 11:30 p.m. Friday, officials said.

 

“Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said dozens were unaccounted for. The victims were believed to be people in their 20s, Kelly said. He said as many as 40 may have perished and that the coroner is preparing for a “mass casualty event” that could include victims from other countries.

 

“Searchers brought in cranes and heavy equipment to search through the night. “We know there are bodies in there that we can’t get to — that have been seen but not recovered,” Kelly said. “There’s bodies that are trapped in there, that need to be cut from the wreckage….” (Associated Press. “Fire tears through Oakland dance party, killing at least 24.” CNBC, 12-4-2016.)

 

Dec 4, CNN: “Alameda County Sheriff Sgt. Ray Kelly said authorities have found 24 victims from the fire at an Oakland warehouse….

 

“For filmmaker and photographer Bob Mulé, the warehouse was both his home and his community. The 27-year-old Mulé told CNN more than 20 people living in the warehouse, paid rent and were all involved in the creation of the space….

 

“Darin Ranelletti, Oakland’s interim director of planning and building, told reporters Saturday the city had only approved permits for the building to be used as a warehouse — not for residences. City officials also had not signed off on a special permit for the event, Ranelletti said. In addition, firefighters found no evidence of sprinklers in the warehouse.

 

“Last month the warehouse’s owners had received notification of city code violations for hazardous trash and debris, property records show. Officials had not yet completed an investigation into a November complaint for an illegal interior building structure….” (CNN (Dan Simon, Max Blau, Chandrika Narayan). “Oakland fire: 24 bodies found; 80% of building still to be searched.” 12-4-2016.)

 

Dec 4, LA Times: “8:25 AM. Reporting from Oakland. T he death toll from the fire that raced through an Oakland warehouse during a music concert rose to 24 as searchers continued to sift through the ruin of one of the deadliest fires in modern California history. The search for victims could take another two days, leaving friends and family members frantic to learn the fate of their loved ones….

 

“City records cited allegations of at least three code violations at the building this year. In one complaint, city inspectors said there was complaint of an illegal building on the property as well as piles of trash. ‘This property is a storage [facility], but the owner turned it into a trash recycling center. The yard became a trash collection site, and the main building was [remodeled] for residential,” according to city records. This property is a storage [facility], but the owner turned it into a trash recycling center. The yard became a trash collection site, and the main building was [remodeled] for residential,” according to city records….

 

“Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo, who represents the district where the fire broke out, said neighbors have regularly complained about the building — particularly the fact that it had piles of trash and debris outside. “We would complain to the manager that they had all that nonsense outside of his building, blocking sidewalks, blocking streets. And …  he always had an attitude,” he said….

 

“The property is one of several owned by Chor N. Ng, according to her daughter, Eva Ng, 36. She said the warehouse was leased as studio space for an art collective and not used as a dwelling. ‘Nobody lived there,’ she told The Times, adding, ‘It was an art collective.’ She said she had asked her leaseholders about the issue and had been reassured that nobody lived in the building. ‘They confirmed multiple times. They said sometimes some people worked through the night, but that is all,’ she said.

 

“The second floor had two exits, both wooden stairs, she said, adding that she believes the building also had smoke detectors. She was not familiar with comments by fire officials that the makeshift stairs consisted of packing crates….

 

“Kevin Longton, who lives at the Vulcan Lofts, less than a mile from the site,  said the warehouse was well-known for holding rave-style dance parties. He went to one about a year ago, never saw any sprinklers and felt the place was an accident waiting to happen. Inside, he said, were two floors with a huge open space on the first floor with lots of nooks and crannies. People had cordoned off loft-style sections on the first floor and decorated them with fabric and curtains. More than two dozen old pianos were strewn about the floor. ‘There were people living there,’ Longton said. ‘I’m sure of that.’…

 

“Ben Brandrett, a mental health researcher living in San Francisco, attended a performance at the warehouse and noticed that a staircase didn’t have a banister. ‘I remember thinking, this seems sketchy.’

 

“Firefighters who responded to Friday’s three-alarm blaze described the interior as a labyrinth. Officials said organizers of the warehouse concert never obtained a permit for the event, so  city workers did not inspect exits, fire extinguishers and other vital safety features….

 

“The teens [quoted in omitted paragraph] said they paid $10 to get into the warehouse party, which they found online, Garcia said….” (Los Angeles Times. “24 bodies recovered in Oakland warehouse fire…” 12-4-2016.)

 

Dec 5, NBC News: “The death toll from the massive warehouse party fire in Oakland, California, climbed to 36 Monday, as anguished families gathered for a third day for any news on their missing loved ones. Officials said Monday morning that they have positively identified 11 victims from Friday night’s devastating blaze. But relatives are being asked to provide a DNA sample to confirm the identity of many of the others….

 

“…firefighters’ recovery efforts were complicated by the astounding amount of damage to the warehouse: 52 hours into the investigation, officials had still only cleared 70 percent of the building, Drayton said. The blaze was so hot it twisted steel in parts of the warehouse.

 

“The large warehouse building was completely filled with combustibles, and once those got started, it was very, very, very rapid fire spread that made for a tremendously scary situation for firefighters entering and people trying to get out…”

 

“Fire officials ordered a temporary work stoppage due to a wobbly wall in the building, which they feared could collapse, Drayton said. They were hoping to secure the wall by 2 p.m. PT so they could resume the recovery effort.

 

Dec 5, USA Today: “Oakland — The death toll from a deadly warehouse fire rose to 36 and the search for more victims was placed on hold Monday after authorities determined the building was dangerously unstable for firefighters inching through the devastation. Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton said firefighters halted work near the back of the building late Sunday after finding the location where the fire began. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, she said….” (USA Today (Jessica Guynn and John Baker). “Oakland warehouse fire death toll reaches 36, likely to rise.” 12-5-2016.)

 

Identified Victims[1]

 

  1. Askew, Cash, 22.
  2. Bohlka, Em, 33.
  3. Casio, Joey, 36, of Oakland. (KTVU/AP. “Oakland warehouse fire: ATF…” 12-8-2016.)
  4. Clark, Barrett, 35. (East Bay Times. “Oakland: Last four warehouse fire victims…” 12-2016)
  5. Cline, David, 24.
  6. Danemayer, Micah, 28.
  7. Dixon, Bill, 35.
  8. Dolan, Chelsea, 33.
  9. Ghassan, Alex, 35.
  10. Gomez-Hall, Nick, 25.
  11. Gregory, Michela Angelina, 20.
  12. Hoda, Sara, 30.
  13. Hough, Travis, 35.
  14. Igaz, Johnny, 34.
  15. Jo, Ara Christina, 29.
  16. Kane, Alana, 35, of Oakland. (KTVU/AP. “Oakland warehouse fire: ATF…” 12-8-2016.)
  17. Kellogg, Donna, 32.
  18. Kershaw, Amanda, 34.
  19. Lapine, Edmond, 34.
  20. Madden, Griffin Sean, 23.
  21. McCarty, Jason Adrian, 35.
  22. McGill, Draven, 17.
  23. Mendiola, Jennifer, 35.
  24. Morris, Jennifer, 21.
  25. Pines, Feral, 29.
  26. Plotkin, Vanessa, 21.
  27. Renner, Wolfgang, 61.
  28. Ruax, Hanna, 32, of Finland. (KTVU/AP. “Oakland warehouse fire: ATF…” 12-8-2016.)
  29. Runnels, Ben, 32.
  30. Siegrist, Nicole, 29, of Oakland. (KTVU/AP. “Oakland warehouse fire: ATF…” 12-8-2016.)
  31. Sylvan, Michele, 37. (East Bay Times. “Oakland: Last four warehouse fire victims…”)
  32. Tanouye, Jennifer Kiyomi,, 31.
  33. Vega, Alex, 22, from San Bruno. (KTVU/AP. “Oakland warehouse fire: ATF…” 12-8-2016.)
  34. Wadsworth, Peter, 38. (East Bay Times. “Oakland: Last four warehouse fire victims…”)
  35. Walrath, Nick, 31. (East Bay Times. “Oakland: Last four warehouse fire victims…” 12-2016)
  36. Wittenauer, Brandon Chase, 21.

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Fire tears through Oakland dance party, killing at least 24.” CNBC, 12-4-2016. Accessed 12-4-2016 at: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/03/latest-update-on-oakland-fire-warehouse-party-san-francisco.html

 

CNN (Dan Simon, Max Blau, Chandrika Narayan). “Oakland fire: 24 bodies found; 80% of building still to be searched.” 12-4-2016. Accessed 12-4-2016 at: http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/04/us/california-oakland-fire/

 

East Bay Times (Harry Harris, Malaika Fraley, Matthias Gafni). “Oakland: At least nine dead after massive fire at live-work space party.” 12-3-2016. 4:14 am, updated 8:24. Accessed 12-3-2016 at: http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/12/03/oakland-massive-fire-at-live-work-space-in-fruitvale-district/

 

East Bay Times (Harry Harris). “Oakland: Last four warehouse fire victims identified.” 12-9-2016. Accessed 12-10-2016 at: http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/12/09/oakland-last-four-warehouse-fire-victims-identified/

 

KTVU/AP, CA Bay Area. “Oakland warehouse fire: ATF to inspect site as all victims ID’d.” 12-8-2016. Accessed 12-9-2016 at: http://www.ktvu.com/oakland-warehouse-fire/222529809-story

 

Los Angeles Times (Shelby Grad). “9 dead, others missing after fire races through Oakland warehouse during concert.” 12-3-2016, 8:30 AM. Accessed 12-3-2016 at: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-oakland-fire-nine-dead-warehouse-20161203-story.html

 

Los Angeles Times. “24 bodies recovered in Oakland warehouse fire; 80% of building to be searched.” 12-4-2016. Accessed 12-4-2016 at: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-oakland-fire-20161204-story.html

 

Los Angeles Times. “Victims of the Oakland warehouse fire: Who they were.” 12-8-2016, 11:05 AM. Accessed 12-8-2016 at: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-oakland-fire-victims-2016-htmlstory.html

 

NBC News (Alastair Jamieson, Elizabeth Chuck, Joy Y. Wang). “Oakland Warehouse Fire: Death Toll Up to 36, Officials ‘Absolutely Believe’ Number Will Climb.” 12-5-2016, 10:45 AM ET. Accessed 12-5-2016 at: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oakland-warehouse-fire-victims-families-face-agonizing-wait-n691911

 

USA Today (Aamer Madhani). “At least 9 dead in California warehouse party fire.” 12-3-2016, 11:09 a.m. EST. Accessed 12-3-2016 at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/12/03/least-9-dead-oakland-warehouse-party-fire/94881696/

 

USA Today (Jessica Guynn and John Baker). “Death toll rises to 30 in Oakland warehouse fire.” 12-4-2016, 4:09 PM EST. Accessed 12-4-2016 at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/12/04/oakland-warehouse-fire-ghost-ship/94950350/

 

USA Today (Jessica Guynn and John Baker). “Oakland warehouse fire death toll reaches 36, likely to rise.” 12-5-2016. Accessed 12-5-2016 at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/12/05/oakland-warehouse-still-dangerous-days-after-deadly-fire/94984840/

 

 

[1] Unless otherwise noted, source is: Los Angeles Times. “Victims of the Oakland warehouse fire: Who they were.” 12-8-2016, 11:05 AM.