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ORIGINAL STORY: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 4:13 A.M
Oakland: Massive fire at live-work space in Fruitvale districtBy HARRY HARRIS | [email protected]
OAKLAND — A massive fire at a Fruitvale district live work space has reportedly left an unconfirmednumber of people dead died at an East Oakland work space, authorities said.
The fire apparently broke out about 11:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue.No other information was immediately available.Check back for updates.
FIRST UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 5:17 A.M.
Oakland: Some feared dead after massive fire at live-work spaceBy HARRY HARRIS | [email protected]
OAKLAND — A massive fire has destroyed a Fruitvale district live-work space where a party was tak-ing place Friday night, authorities said, and it is believed that some have died in the blaze.
The fire apparently broke out about 11:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue during an event featuringmusician Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour.
Fire officials said they were told that a party involving 30 to 70 people was underway when fire began,and they were trying to account for everyone who was there. Police said there are reportedly casualties inthe fire, but more information wasn’t immediately available.
Some people have posted images and messages on Facebook of people they believe are missing, whileother have posted that they had escaped safely.
The blaze brought 55 firefighters to the scene, near the corner of 31st Avenue and International Boule-
The presentation below summarizes our breaking news coverage over the 24-hourperiod following the Ghost Ship disaster, in stories, photos, videos, tweets and alerts.The coverage narrative is provided in the sections with a light blue background, whilethe coverage itself has a white background.
THE MAIN NEWS STORYOur reporting began about 3:45 a.m. Saturday morning with a call from a policesource to Harry Harris, our longtime Oakland cops reporter; the first version of thestory — which we believe was the first media report raising the specter of manycasualties — published at 4:13 a.m. Over the next eighteen hours we publishedseven major updates of the story and dozens of minor revisions as our team in thefield grew to 17 reporters and photographers.
Over the first hour, Harris was limited to talking with the firefighters working the blazeabout the details of their efforts and what they had heard about the event at theGhost Ship the night before. No one had yet entered the building to begin countingcasualties. A photographer and second reporter joined Harris, but it was as yetunclear how significant the story was.
Once firefighters extinguished the blaze and begin to enter the building, they foundnine bodies fairly quickly, but could not dig too deeply into the building becauseof a fear the remaining structure would collapse. By this time, the second reporterworking the story began to find evidence on social media of the scope of the event,and it became clear the death toll would shoot far higher.
SECOND UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 6:28 A.M.
Oakland: At least 9 dead after fire during party at live-work spaceFire department video: twitter.com/OaklandFireLive/status/804960285333147648
By HARRY HARRIS | [email protected] MALAIKA FRALEY | [email protected]
OAKLAND — At least nine people died in a fire that broke out late Friday at a Fruitvale district live-work space, Oakland fire officials said.
Another 13 people were unaccounted for, Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said, after the blaze torethrough the building at about 11:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue during an event featuring musician
Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour.“We still have to do a more thorough
search of the building and we don’t know thepotential number of other victims,” Deloche-Reed said.
Friends and family of party-goers wereon social media early Saturday looking forconfirmation their loved ones are safe. Someare posting and getting information from theparty’s Facebook event page.
Some have posted images and messageson Facebook of people they believe are miss-ing, while other have posted that they hadescaped safely.
The blaze brought 55 firefighters to thescene, near the corner of 31st Avenue andInternational Boulevard. Battalion chief LisaBaker said crews found flames on three sidesof the building. Firefighters aggressively at-tacked the blaze inside the structure whenconditions changed and they had to go backoutside.
As of 4:20 a.m., the fire had not been offi-cially declared under control, and there wasstill smoke coming from the an upper floor ofthe building.
Fire officials were waiting for a structuralengineer to arrive on the scene before they
entered the building to do a more thorough search. On the event’s Facebook page, several people had postedmessages about the fire and concerns about people who were there and feared missing.
Oakland police said those who were concerned about missing people in the fire should contact the Alam-eda County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau 510-382-3000.
Check back for updates.
vard. Battalion chief Lisa Baker said crewsfound flames on three sides of the build-ing. Firefighters aggressively attacked theblaze inside the structure when conditionschanged and they had to go back outside.
As of 4:20 a.m., the fire had not been offi-cially declared under control, and there wasstill smoke coming from the an upper floorof the building.
Fire officials were waiting for a structuralengineer to arrive on the scene before theyentered the building to do a more thoroughsearch.
Check back for updates.
First photoonline at5:30 a.m.:StaffphotographerRay Chaveztook thisphoto shortlyafter ourfirst onlinebulletin,and postedit beforethe firstofficial newsconference.RAY CHAVEZ/STAFF
THIRD UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 7:05 A.M.
Oakland: At least nine dead, 13 missing aftermassive fire at live-work space partyFire department video: twitter.com/OaklandFireLive/status/804960285333147648
By HARRY HARRIS | [email protected] MALAIKA FRALEY | [email protected]
OAKLAND — At least nine people died in a fire that broke out late Friday at an electronic music partyin a Fruitvale district live-work space, Oakland fire officials said.
Another 13 people are unaccounted for,Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed said about6 a.m. Saturday, after the blaze tore throughthe building in the 1300 block of 31st Avenueduring an event featuring musician GoldenDonna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour.
The fire started around 11:30 p.m. Friday.Firefighters saw no evidence that smoke de-tectors were activated during the fire andthere was no sprinkler system in the two-story structure, the chief said.
“We still have to do a more thorough searchof the building and we don’t know the poten-tial number of other victims,” Deloach-Reedsaid.
The blaze is already being called one of thedeadliest single-structure fires in Oakland’shistory, if not the deadliest.
“This is a true loss for the city, for the fire-fighters who responded, and the people wholost family and friend. Its just tragic, a realtragedy,” she said.
Friends and family of party-goers were onsocial media early Saturday looking for con-firmation their loved ones are safe. Some areposting and getting information from party’sFacebook event page.
Some have posted images and messageson Facebook of people they believe are miss-ing, while other have posted that they had escaped safely.
The building houses some 50 people and is an artists collective. One, a photographer and artist, said afriend hurt himself and asked for help getting out. Bob Mule said he tried, but couldn’t do it.
“It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there,” said Mule, a photographer and artist who livesat the building and suffered minor burns. “I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated bysmoke. I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work.”
When he escaped, he could see someone calling for help from second floor window, and tried to get a lad-der, “ but they jumped out the window.
The blaze brought 55 firefighters to the scene, near the corner of 31st Avenue and International Boule-vard. Battalion chief Lisa Baker said crews found flames on three sides of the building. Firefighters aggres-sively attacked the blaze inside the structure when conditions changed and they had to go back outside.
As of 4:20 a.m., the fire had not been officially declared under control, and there was still smoke comingfrom the an upper floor of the building.
Fire officials were waiting for a structural engineer to arrive on the scene before they entered the build-ing to do a more thorough search. The building had no sprinklers, Deloche-Reed said, and crews did nothear any smoke detectors going off when they arrived.
Arson investigators will be called to the scene, the chief said.Oakland police said those who were concerned about missing people in the fire should contact the Alam-
eda County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau 510-382-3000.Check back for updates.
6:46 a.m.
Around 5:30, Harris located some residents of the Ghost Ship and convinced one toagree to an interview. At about 6 a.m., he pressed the fire chief to hold an impromptupress conference. She acknowledged that the building appeared to have no smokedetectors and no sprinkler system. We swiftly added to our reporting team, settingout on a new line of inquiry about permitting and inspection issues regarding thebuilding. That led to a series of stories you will see later in this first-day report.
FOURTH UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 9:08 A.M.
Oakland: At least 9 dead, 25 missingafter massive fire at live-work space partyBy HARRY HARRIS | [email protected], MALAIKA FRALEY | [email protected], ERIN BALDASSARI | [email protected] and MATTHIAS GAFNI | [email protected]
OAKLAND -- In what may be the deadliest structure fire in Oakland’s history, at least nine people diedin 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. Fridayduring an event featuring musician GoldenDonna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour.
Most of the nine dead were found on thesecond floor, and another 25 people are un-accounted for, Fire Chief Teresa Deloach-Reed said.
“We still have to do a more thoroughsearch of the building and we don’t knowthe potential number of other victims,” De-loach-Reed said. No firefighters were re-ported injured while battling the blaze.
The blaze is already being called one ofthe deadliest single-structure fires in Oak-land’s history, if not the deadliest.
“This is a true loss for the city, for thefirefighters who responded, and the peoplewho lost family and friend. It’s just tragic, areal tragedy,” she said.
Friends and family of party-goers wereon social media early Saturday lookingfor confirmation their loved ones are safe.Some are posting and getting informationfrom the party’s Facebook event page.
Some have posted images and messageson Facebook of people they believe are miss-ing, while other have posted that they hadescaped safely.
The building houses some 50 people andis an artists collective. One, a photographerand artist, said a friend hurt himself and
asked for help getting out. Bob Mule said he tried, but was thwarted by the intense fire.“It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there,” said Mule, a photographer and artist who lives
at the building and suffered minor burns. “I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated bysmoke. I couldn’t get the fire extinguisher to work.”
When he escaped, he could see someone calling for help from second floor window, and tried to get a lad-der, “ but they jumped out the window.
With the scope of the story now far clearer, we added another half-dozen staffersto the story between 7 and 8:30 a.m. Some reporters fanned out around theneighborhood, looking for more Ghost Ship residents and party attendees. Othersmined social media, and those more human elements began to flesh out the story.
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FIFTH UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 11:50 A.M.
Oakland: Officials prepare for 40 fatalitiesafter massive fire at live-work space partyBy HARRY HARRIS | [email protected] MATTHIAS GAFNI | [email protected]
OAKLAND -- In what may be the deadliest structure fire in Oakland’s history, at least nine people diedin a blaze that broke out late Friday at an electronic music party at a Fruitvale district live-work space, of-ficials said, and are preparing for handling up to 40 more fatalities.
The fire tore through the two-story building in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. Fridayduring 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, FireChief Teresa Deloach Reed said Saturdaymorning.
“We still have to do a more thorough searchof the building and we don’t know the poten-tial number of other victims,” Deloach-Reedsaid. No firefighters were reported injuredwhile battling the blaze.
Alameda County Sheriff’s spokesman RayKelly said emergency responders are pre-pared for a “mass casualty event” that couldinvolve “several dozen fatalities” after fire-fighters and others gain access to the build-ing. The site, as of 10:45 a.m., was still deemedto unsafe for firefighters to enter.
The blaze is already being called one of thedeadliest single-structure fires in Oakland’shistory, if not the deadliest.
“This is a true loss for the city, for the fire-fighters who responded and the people wholost family and friends,” Deloach Reed said.“It’s just tragic, a real tragedy.”
Officials have confirmed that at least ninewere dead and another 25 are unaccountedfor Saturday morning. Friends and family ofparty-goers were on social media early Saturday looking for confirmation their loved ones are safe. Some areposting and getting information from the party’s Facebook event page.
Some have posted images and messages on Facebook of people they believe are missing, while other haveposted that they had escaped safely.
The blaze brought 55 firefighters to the scene, near the corner of 31st Avenue and International Boule-vard. Battalion chief Lisa Baker said crews found flames on three sides of the building.
Mid-morning brought more critical information into view. Firefighters were stilllimited in access to the building because of a fear the burned hulk would collapse,but officials were hearing enough inquiries from the community and seeing enoughon social media to set an upper limit of about 40 fatalities. More victims and familiesof victims gathered and agreed to interviews. Fire chief Teresa Deloach Reed for thefirst time described the clutter inside the Ghost Ship that had hampered firefighters’response — and, it turned out, kept partygoers from escaping. Public recordsrevealed the name of the owner of the building.
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SIXTH UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 7:19 P.M.
Oakland: Nine bodies removed from burned warehouse; search begins for more victimBy JULIA PRODIS SULEK | [email protected], ERIN BALDASSARI | [email protected], TRACY SEIPEL | [email protected] MATTHIAS GAFNI | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group
OAKLAND — In what may be the deadliest structure fire in Oakland’s history, at least nine people diedin a blaze that broke out late Friday at an electronic music party at a Fruitvale district live-work space, and
firefighters as of late Saturday afternoonhad started combing through the burnedbuilding.
The nine bodies were the most easilyaccessible ones, those that firefighters hadinitially identified, said Alameda CountySheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly, add-ing at a Saturday evening news confer-ence there are still at least two dozen peo-ple not yet accounted for.
The fire tore through the two-storybuilding in the 1300 block of 31st Avenue,at international Boulevard, at about 11:30p.m. Friday during an event featuringmusician Golden Donna’s 100% Silk WestCoast tour. The building, which was zonedas a warehouse, had been the subject of anumber of complaints and may have beenillegally modified in ways that made it dif-ficult for partygoers to escape.
Most of the nine dead were found on thesecond floor, fire Chief Teresa DeloachReed said Saturday.
“We still have to do a more thoroughsearch of the building and we don’t knowthe potential number of other victims,”Deloach-Reed said. No firefighters werereported injured while battling the blaze.
Kelly said emergency responders wereprepared Saturday night for a “mass ca-sualty event” that could involve “severaldozen fatalities.” He also said Saturdaynight that “several dozen” people whowere initially reported missing have sincebeen located and are safe. Still, Kelly saidhe expects the recovery of bodies to takeas long as 48 hours.
The plan is to “disassemble the build-ing piece by piece and place the debrisinto bins, Kelly said. Heavy equipmentcould be seen and heard working on thebuilding by 6 p.m. Saturday.
The blaze is already being called one ofthe deadliest single-structure fires in Oak-land’s history, if not the deadliest.
By late afternoon, we had begun to develop reporting about complaints to the cityregarding conditions at the building — extracted from the city’s sketchy onlinedatabases, since city offices were not open on Saturday. It was becoming clearthat the victims had not simply been killed by the fire. They had been killed by thewarehouse itself — by the weight and volume of the knick-knacks and artifacts thatjammed its tight spaces, by its fire safety deficiencies, by the nature of the peopleand the events it attracted.
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LAURA A. ODA/STAFF
Friends and relatives of the missing comfort each other outsidethe Alameda County Sheriff’s substation in Oakland.
SEVENTH UPDATE: DECEMBER 3 AT 9:40 P.M.
At least nine dead, many missing in Oakland warehouse fireBy JULIA PRODIS SULEK | [email protected], ERIN BALDASSARI | [email protected], TRACY SEIPEL | [email protected] and MATTHIAS GAFNI |[email protected] | Bay Area News Group
OAKLAND — Doomed partygoers trapped on the second floor of a crudely converted warehousescreamed, “Help us! Help us!” as one of the deadliest structure fires in Oakland’s history ripped through atinderbox of makeshift living spaces and a labyrinth cluttered with art late Friday night, killing at least ninepeople and possibly dozens more.
The blaze broke out late Friday atan electronic music party at a Fruit-vale district live-work space occu-pied by an arts collective, and fire-fighters late Saturday were combingthrough the burned building insearch of victims — a process theysay may take 48 hours and requirebulldozers and cadaver dogs.
Dozens of people waited for newsabout their loved ones late Saturdaynight at the coroner’s office.
“It’s like waiting for your name tobe called, and if your name is called,it’s going to be the worst day of yourlife,” Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt.Ray Kelly said. “It’s very tense inthere.”
As the horrific scene unfolded Fri-day night, people banged on windowswhen they couldn’t escape down themain path to safety: a steep, rick-ety staircase cobbled together withwooden pallets and plywood.
Survivors described a chaoticscene of people desperately trying tohelp their friends but overcome byfire and smoke.
“It was too hot, too much smoke,I had to get out of there,” said BobMule, a photographer and artistwho lives in the building and whosuffered minor burns. “I literally feltmy skin peeling and my lungs beingsuffocated by smoke. I couldn’t getthe fire extinguisher to work.”
When he escaped, he could seesomeone calling for help from thesecond-floor window, and tried toget a ladder, “but they jumped outthe window.”
The building known as the “GhostShip” was zoned as a warehouse but had been the subject of a number of complaints about blight and illegalstructures inside. On Saturday, city officials acknowledged that inspectors had knocked on the door of thewarehouse two weeks ago but left when no one answered.
The night’s final story wove the developing elements of the news together withsome of the drama of the tragedy -- after a day of gathering facts, we were able tostep back and locate the emotion. Much of that emotion emerged from a surrealscene: the large numbers of family and friends gathered at the coroner’s office,waiting to hear the identities of those who had perished in the blaze. It would takefive more days before all the identities were known
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RAY CHAVEZ/STAFF
Oakland Police Chaplain Jayson Landeza, left, Mayor Libby Schaaf andCouncilman Larry Reid walk together after a news conference.
ANDA CHU/STAFF
Firefighters stack debris outside the scene of a deadly fire at a live-workspace in Oakland’s Fruitvale district.
FIRST VERSION: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 11:46 A.M.
Oakland warehouse fire: City had launched probelast month into building’s interior structureBy THOMAS PEELE | [email protected]
OAKLAND — City officials justlast month had cited the owner of thewarehouse where a deadly fire killedat least nine people late Friday nightand had launched an investigationinto whether the interior structurewas illegal, city records show.
Records show a neighbor filed acomplaint on Nov. 13 over a “a ton ofgarbage piling up on the property” at1305 31st Ave.
“Also, a lot of items are left on thesidewalk near the property,” the com-plaint said. “Some of trash was haz-ardous. This property is a storagebut the owner turned it to becometrash recycle site. The yard becamea trash collection site and the mainbuilding was remodel for residential.The change causes our neighborhoodlooks very bad and creates health is-sue.”
Records show the next day the city launched an investigation into an illegal interior building structure.The status of that investigation was not clear Saturday morning.
The buildings owner is Chor N. Ng of Oakland, according to property records. He bought the warehousein 1997.
Ng owns other properties in Oakland.Check back more for on this developing story.
Resorting to the city of Oakland’s scant online databases because offices wereclosed on Saturday, we were the first to report that the city knew the Ghost Shipbuilding might contain illegal structures inside, and that it had been investigating thematter the previous month. Our first story posted before noon Saturday.
As we developed our reporting, we made a crucial link: The illegal interior structuresthe city had investigated were apparently the reason many folks inside the GhostShip were unable to escape the blaze (firefighters from the beginning said thewarehouse was jammed with material and difficult to navigate). We explored thatconnection in a story that posted first shortly after 1 p.m., and in a somewhat moresharply edited version just before 2 p.m.
SECOND VERSION: DECEMBER 3, 1:48 PM
Oakland warehouse fire: City had launched probelast month into building’s interior structureBy THOMAS PEELE | [email protected]
OAKLAND — City officials last month had launched an investigation into the site of Friday night’s deadlyfire for illegal structures built inside the warehouse where the blaze broke out, according to city records.
The records show what was called a housing habitability complaint Nov. 14 resulted in an ongoing investi-gation of an alleged “illegal interior building structure.” An art collective called “Ghost Ship” was occupyingthe building, which property records show is owned by Chor N. Ng of Oakland. The building is zoned for awarehouse, but had become an art studio and living space — a growing trend in the Bay Area’s white-hothousing market.
It had no sprinklers or fire alarms and a few fire extinguishers.
THE CITY INSPECTION STORY
12:35 p.m.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said firefighters had trouble battling the blaze because thespace “was filled end-to-end with furniture, what-not, collections ... it was like a maze almost.”
A photograph of what the East Bay Express said was the interior of the building shows a finished spacewith a large rug, lamps, couches, a piano, speakers and art work.
City building inspectors wrote in online records Saturday that “some of the victims might have beentrapped in the blaze when they couldn’t escape down a makeshift, one-way stairwell leading to the secondfloor that was built out of wooden pallets.”
City inspectors went to the property on Nov. 13 after a complaint of a large amount of garbage dumpedoutside. A neighbor complained about “a ton of garbage piling up” in vacant lot next to the building, callingit a “trash collection site” and a “trash recycling site.” The building had been “remodeled for residential,”the complaint states.
It was during an inspection of that complaint that the illegal structure complaint began, records show.The building’s owner is listed as Chor N. Ng of Oakland, according to property records. He bought the
warehouse in 1997. Ng could not be reached Saturday afternoon.Ng, according to property records, bought the warehouse in 1997. She could not be reached Saturday
afternoon.Records show Ng owns 11 other Oakland properties and at least two in San Francisco.Ng owns other Oakland properties in Oakland including an art gallery and retail building on Interna-
tional Boulevard.She also owns a business called Kingmaker Marketing and Consulting.Check back more for on this developing story.
Staff writer Mathias Gafni contributed to this story.
OAKLANDGHOSTSHIP.COM
Firefighters said battling the blaze was made more difficult because of the maze-like array of furniture and artwork.
At a scheduled 2 p.m. press conference, reporters armed with the facts in ourstories confronted city officials with questions about the city’s investigation andits knowledge of building code violations inside the Ghost Ship. The officials beganto dissemble, but then Mayor Libby Schaaf turned to the director of planning andbuilding and said,“We need to tell them what we know.” So the director revealedthat city inspectors had been to the Ghost Ship two weeks earlier to investigatecomplaints, but had been unable to gain entry. We updated our story immediatelyand began to deepen that line of reporting as well.
THIRD VERSION: DECEMBER 3, 2:50 P.M.
Oakland warehouse fire: Inspectors launched probelast month into building but couldn’t get insideBy THOMAS PEELE | [email protected]
OAKLAND — City building inspectors last month had launched an investigation into the site of Fridaynight’s deadly fire for illegal structures built inside the warehouse, but they were unable to get inside thebuilding to inspect it.
Officials had cited the building’s owner for blight on Nov. 13 after neighbors complained of “a ton ofgarbage piling up” in the adjoining lot. They next day, city records show, officials followed what was calleda housing habitability complaint and began an investigation of an alleged “illegal interior building struc-
ture.”When inspectors returned on
Nov. 17, they couldn’t get inside,Darin Ranelletti, Oakland’s interimdirector of planning and building,said at a news conference this af-ternoon.
An art collective called “GhostShip” was occupying the building,which property records show isowned by Chor N. Ng of Oakland.The two-story building is zoned fora warehouse, but witnesses saidhad become an art studio and livingspace — a growing trend in the BayArea’s white-hot housing market.
The building had no sprinklers orfire alarms, a few fire extinguishersand only two exits. The roof of thebuilding collapsed in the fire ontothe second floor.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa De-loche-Reed said firefighters had trouble battling the blaze because the space “was filled end-to-end withfurniture, what-not, collections ... it was like a maze almost.”
A photograph of what the East Bay Express said was the interior of the building shows a finished spacewith a large rug, lamps, couches, a piano, speakers and art work.
City building inspectors wrote in online records Saturday that “some of the victims might have beentrapped in the blaze when they couldn’t escape down a makeshift, one-way stairwell leading to the secondfloor that was built out of wooden pallets.”
City inspectors went to the property on Nov. 13 after a complaint of a large amount of garbage dumpedoutside. A neighbor complained about “a ton of garbage piling up” in vacant lot next to the building, callingit a “trash collection site” and a “trash recycling site.” The building had been “remodeled for residential,”the complaint states.
It was during an inspection of that complaint that the illegal structure complaint began, records show.“We have reports that people were living in the structure,” Ranelletti said, “but again we are trying to
confirm that.”Ng, according to property records, bought the warehouse in 1997. She could not be reached Saturday
afternoon.Records show Ng owns 11 other Oakland properties, including an art gallery and retail building on Inter-
national Boulevard, and at least two in San Francisco. A tenant at one of the Oakland properties would onlydescribe her as a nice woman.
She also owns a business called Kingmaker Marketing and Consulting.Check back more for on this developing story.
Staff writer Mathias Gafni contributed to this story.
KGO-TV
The warehouse had no sprinklers or alarms and only a few extinguishers.The roof of the building collapsed in the fire onto the second floor.
The day’s final story on the inspection issue explored one more question: After theywere unable to gain entry to the Ghost Ship a month earlier, did city inspectors followup? The apparent answer: No.
FINAL VERSION: DECEMBER 3, 7:53 PM
Oakland warehouse fire: Inspectors launchedprobe last month into building but couldn’t get insideBy THOMAS PEELE | [email protected], AARON DAVIS | [email protected] and DAVID DEBOLT | [email protected]
OAKLAND — Just three weeks before Friday’s deadly fire, city building inspectors had launched aninvestigation into “illegal structures” built inside the converted warehouse dubbed the “Ghost Ship,” butofficials conceded Saturday they had been unable to gain access during an inspection visit and it appearsthey did not follow up.
The revelation sickened family members and survivors of the nine confirmed victims and dozens of oth-ers feared dead amid the charred remains occupied by the art collective, which was not permitted forthe living area, underground dance club and artists’ studios that firefighters found late Friday night. Thequirky, cluttered, wood-filled space — with no smoke alarms or sprinklers — seems to have trapped itsinhabitants and visitors inside.
Officials had cited the building’s owner for blight on Nov. 13 after neighbors complained of “a ton of gar-bage piling up” in the adjoining lot. They next day, city records show officials began an investigation of analleged “illegal interior building structure.”
Names of victims were initially slow to trickle out, and social media proved a bettersource than city officials for the information. We published our first story focusedon victims just before 2:30 p.m. A victims’ team developed profiles of each victimover the following week, and all of those stories were collected on a web page here.That page is a separate part of our Pulitzer entry. The families of Alex Vega andMichela Gregory gave regular interviews to our reporters. Their uncertainty — whichturned to agony — exemplified the emotions of the community of family and friendssurrounding the Ghost Ship victims.
THE VICTIMS STORYFIRST VERSION: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2:04 P.M.
Oakland warehouse fire: Many anxiously waitfor updates on loved ones believed to be at partyBy TRACY SEIPEL | [email protected], ERIN BALDASSARI | [email protected] and SAM RICHARDS | [email protected]
OAKLAND — Amid the chaos of firefighters, police worried friends and family, media and various oth-ers on 31st Avenue midday Saturday, it’s been difficult to get information about loved ones believed to haveattended the party Friday night that ended with at least nine people dead, and likely many more.
Among the many looking for answers Saturday is Dan Vega. The Oakley resident had been workingSaturday morning at his auto mechanic’s job in Pittsburg. He took a break at 10:10 a.m. and was scrollingthrough Facebook and had happened to see the headline of the Oakland tragedy. Knowing his brother AlexBenjamin Vega and girlfriend Michela Gregory had planned to go an Oakland rave/art party, Dan Vegarepeatedly called his brother, but he was put straight into voicemail. He panicked and hurriedly texted,“I hope you’re OK,” and also got no response. “The fact is, his phone is never off,” Dan said through tears.“That’s what troubles me.”
Dan Vega was at central gathering place midday Saturday was a family assistance center has been set upat the sheriff’s substation at 2425 E. 12th St. People gathered there were distraught; Dan Vega said he sawabout 30 people inside, crying, calling on their cell phones, texting. He wasn’t in there for long.
“I figure I’ll get more news outside here quicker than If I go in there,” Vega said.His heart sank late Saturday morning when he heard from someone who had seen Michela Gregory at
the party. He was hoping they had gone somewhere else. The pair’s car remained parked near Dan Vega’smom’s house in San Bruno Saturday; Alex and Michela had taken the train to Oakland.
Dan Vega was still wearing his work uniform of black shirt and pants. “I have my work boots, I have
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gloves, I just want to find him.”The three-alarm fire, first reported at 11:30 p.m. Friday, destroyed a two-story warehouse building in the
1300 block of 31st Avenue, the scene of a concert and party featuring musician Golden Donna’s 100% SilkWest Coast tour. In addition to those known dead, at least 25 others believed to be at the party were missingSaturday. Because the burned structure remained unsafe to go into mid-day Saturday, authorities said the process of getting more informationwill likely be time consuming.
Ray Wan said he wasn’t at the party, but was called around midnightand told about the fire.Heshowed up to check on three friends, twowomenand a man, who were DJs at what he described as an underground clubparty. Wan said the were playing house music at the art collective, whichthrows the events to raise money for rent.
One man who did not want to be named said he had planned to go tothe party Friday night but ultimately didn’t. He has friends who werethere, though. “It was kind of weird to be sleeping through this,” he said.“Right now, everyone is trying to figure out how to help.”
Friends and family of party-goers were also on social media early Sat-urday looking for confirmation their loved ones are safe. Some are post-ing and getting information from party’s Facebook event page. Somehave posted images and messages on Facebook of people they believeare missing, while other have posted that they had escaped safely.
The most frustrating part, he said, is “that they won’t let me go over tothe scene of the fire.” He’s seen the reports about the various furniture, pianos and art pieces at the ware-house that have hampered firefighting efforts, and may have caused party goers problems, too. About hisbrother and his longtime girlfriend, Dan Vega said, “They should not have been there.”
FINAL VERSION (AFTER SEVEN UPDATES) POSTED AT 8:30 P.M.
Oakland warehouse fire: Many wait for updates on loved onesBy TRACY SEIPEL | [email protected], ERIN BALDASSARI | [email protected] and KATY MURPHY | [email protected]
OAKLAND — Alex Vega always answers his phone. But his brother’s frantic text on Saturdaymorning — “I hope you’re OK” — got no response.
Vega, 22, and his girlfriend of four years, 20-year-old Michela Gregory, are among dozens missing after aFriday night blaze that consumed an artists’ collective in a Fruitvale-area warehouse and killed nine peopleat a dance party — and possibly many more.
Now, a memorial of flowers and candles grows at the site, and their loved ones wait in excruciating agonyfor news.“I’m just hoping for a miracle at this point,” said David Gregory, Michela’s father, his eyes red fromcrying.
LAURA A. ODA/STAFF
Dan Vega waits at the Sheriff’s substation in Oakland, hoping for news on his brother, Alex.
COURTESY DAN VEGA
Michela Gregory, left, and AlexVega, are listed as missing andwere thought to be at the party.
THE COMPLETE VERSION OF THIS STORY IS ITEM #4 IN THIS ENTRY
FIRST VERSION: DECEMBER 3, 3:53 P.M.
Facebook post from leader of Oaklandwarehouse artist collective sparks controversyBy AARON DAVIS | [email protected]
OAKLAND — A surreal shouting matcherupted on the Facebook page of Derick Ion, thepurported head of the Oakland Ghost Ship art-ists collective, after he lamented the loss of “ev-erything (he) worked so hard for…”
At 2 a.m. Saturday morning, Ion wrote: “Con-firmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone.Blessed that my children and Micah were at a ho-tel safe and sound… it’s as if I have awoken froma dream filled with opulence and hope… to be standing now in poverty of self worth.”
Ion, which is a Facebook name for Derick Alemany, was unavailable to comment onSaturday.
The message was quickly criticized for Ion’s concern over his material possessions,rather than the lives lost in what one poster described as “a death trap” and a “tinderbox.”
Others drew comparisons, arguing that they were sorry about “your stuff that servedas the fuel that burned our irreplaceable people to death.”
The fire broke out Friday night during a rave party in the warehouse in the 1300 blockof 31st Ave., trapping dozens of partygoers inside. Nine people were confirmed dead Saturday, and the tollrose to 24 Sunday morning. Authorities feared up to 40 people may have perished in the blaze.
The creator of the Ghost Ship, Derick Ion (Almena), became a controversial figure inthe days after the fire. This story captured that controversy as it began to develop;there would be more coverage of Ion as the week developed, and it is includedelsewhere in our entry.
THE DERICK ION STORY
OTHER FIRST DAY ONLINE STORIESPUBLISHED: DECEMBER 3, 8:53 A.M.
Oakland warehouse fire: Where to find info on those missingBy EAST BAY TIMES | Bay Area News Group
At least nine people were killed and and an estimated 25 people are missing after a fire ripped through anOakland warehouse where an event featuring the Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour was beingheld Friday night, Dec. 2, 2016.
Here is where you can find information on those who are unaccounted for:Oakland police said those who were concerned about missing people in the fire, which broke out in a
warehouse at 1305 31st Avenue, should contact the Alameda County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau 510-382-3000.
The Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour Facebook page for the event has posted the namesof some of those believed to be missing.
Facebook turned on its Safety Check so people in the area of the Oakland fire can let friends know theyare safe.
PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 3, 2:50 PM
Oakland warehouse fire: How to helpBy SAM RICHARDS | [email protected]
OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s, Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders are among the agenciesaround that Bay Area that by Sunday were inviting concerned citizens to join them in pledging money tohelp people and groups impacted by the deadly Oakland warehouse fire late Friday night that left at least33 people dead.
Warriors officials said Saturday night the team will donate $50,000 to support those impacted by thefire. The donation will be made to the Unity Council, stationed in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, where
Derick IonYesterday at 1:33am
Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessedthat my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound...it’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope.... to be standing now in poverty of self worth.
Almena
the fire occurred.The Raiders on Saturday announced that organization will give up to a $30,000 match for money col-
lected through the youcaring.com crowdfunding page for money contributions set up Saturday morning bythe A’s. The baseball club pledged to match those contributions, up to $20,000.
But on Sunday, both organizations increased their matches to $50,000.As of 7:30 Sunday, that fund had collected $70,663 from 1,553 donors. To give, go here.Also Sunday, Kaiser Permanente announced an initial contribution of $50,000 to “help with recovery
efforts and to assist victims and their families.”“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life as a result of the Oakland warehouse fire and extend our sin-
cere condolences for the victims and families of this tragedy,” Janet Liang, president of Kaiser PermanenteNorthern California said in a release, noting that Kaiser is working with the City of Oakland in providingassistance.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 3, 9:43 PM
Editorial: Oakland warehouse inferno was preventableBy EAST BAY TIMES
The Instagram post conveyed the pain: “MISSING! Please any information on my brother and Michaela.Please god let these 2 be ok and let us know please”
And with it, a photo of a handsome young couple dressed for a special night, him with a boutonniere in hislapel, her with a wrist corsage.
The anguish, terror and fear is not limited to the family of this pair. Thirty-three were confirmed dead bySunday afternoon and officials did not know how many more victims they would find in the remains of what
may be the deadliest structure fire inOakland history.
Mayor Libby Schaaf promises “avery thorough and methodical investi-gation so we can discern what in facthappened.” The Alameda County Dis-trict Attorney’s Office has launched acriminal investigation.
From what we know so far, thiswas a disaster waiting to happen. Thetwo-story, 9,880-square-foot build-ing housed dozens of people and wasan artist’s collective ominously named“Ghost Ship.”
But it was permitted as a warehouse,not as a residence. And not as a partyvenue, which is what it had been turnedinto Friday night. The Facebook page
for the “Golden Donna 100% Silk 2016 West Coast Tour” suggests hundreds planned to attend.There’s a reason governments require permits for residences and entertainment establishments. It’s so
infernos like this don’t happen.The accounts so far suggest this was a fire marshal’s worst nightmare. No sprinklers or fire alarms. Only
two known exits. A makeshift stairwell build out of wood pallets.One man who lived there described a building littered with electrical wires that sometimes sparked. Oak-
land Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said firefighters found the space filled end-to-end with furniture.It’s easy to understand how the building went up in smoke and flames so quickly about 11:30 p.m. Friday
and why it took firefighters four hours to control the blaze.It’s hard to understand how this could happen. Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo had received numer-
ous complaints about parties at the building and illegal dumping on the property. What happened to thosecomplaints?
Inspectors last month had supposedly launched an investigation of garbage piling up on the adjoining lot.That turned into a probe of an illegal interior building structure.
When inspectors returned on Nov. 17, they couldn’t get inside. That was 15 days before the fire broke out.What happened since then? Did the inspectors return? Gallo says they apparently didn’t try.
And what of those who walked into this death trap on Friday night? Many were young, in their 20s and30s. Did they not sense danger in this makeshift party venue?
So many questions. We await the findings of the investigations. And we mourn for the tragic loss of lifethat was, by all accounts so far, preventable.
RAYCHAVEZ/STAFF
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has promised a thorough investigationof the tragedy that took 36 lives.
Source: Mercury News reporting. Images from oaklandghostship.com and Google Maps Note: Drawing is schematic PAI/BAYAREANEWS GROUP
INSIDE THE OAKLAND CLUBThe Oakland “Ghost Ship”was an artist collective housed in a crowded two-story warehouse. The building may have been illegally modified with livingquarters and other unpermitted construction.Mostof the dead may have been on the second floor.
Outside the club
Lounge areaMaindoor
Dancefloor
Stage
DJ
Backstage hasbathroom and stairs
Living area
Three windows(gated)
Two windows(ungated)
Twowindows(gated)
Twowindows(ungated)
31st Avenue
Facing the front entrance
First floor lounge area
Main dance floor
Mainentrance
Lounge areasand livingquarters
Possible exit:Wall broken toaccess neighboring auto repair shop’sbathroom. Exact location unknown.
Yard
North
Firstfloor
SecondfloorMain stage
Stairsto second
floor
Stairsto firstfloor
Makeshiftkitchen:Camp stovewith butanetanks
Frontentrance
Kitchen
Stairs
Stage
Fourwindows(ungated)
A GRAPHIC LOOK INSIDEBay Area News Group artists created a schematic look inside the Ghost Ship warehouse for use withfirst-day stories. Included were images never before seen of the Ghost Ship’s interior. The graphic wasfirst published on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8:54 p.m.
THE STORIFY VIDEOThis video using the Storify format offered a summary of how people were reacting to the Ghost Shipdisaster, with a primary focus on social media. It was first posted Saturday, December 3 at 11:20 a.m.Click on any frame to go to the complete video, which is at www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/12/03/deadly-oakland-warehouse-party-fire-the-reaction-on-social-media.
THE RUNNING BLOGFor the first 12 hours after news of the tragedy broke, we updated readers with a running blogon our homepage, fed mostly with the tweets of reporters on the scene. Click on any frameto go to the blog, which is at www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/12/03/oakland-warehouse-fire-updates-from-scene-of-the-tragedy.
FIRST-DAY VIDEOOur staff photographers did Facebook Live broadcasts for each of the three first-day pressconferences, and produced videos updating the news at key points during the day. We alsoacquired witness footage of the fire.
Facebook Live video of news conferencePosted 11:44 a.m.
Facebook Live video of news conferencePosted 2:18 p.m.
Facebook Live video of news conferencePosted 6:01 p.m.
News videoPosted 9:56 a.m.
News videoPosted 5:05 p.m.
News videoPosted 8:29 p.m.
