CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #1

[Jax49]

Thinking of Gitana's brother and all the spouses, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends waiting for the horrible confirmation. Hoping for miracles for as many as possible.

lease:

 

[gregjrichards]

Three UC Berkeley students have been identified among the dozens of people missing after an Oakland warehouse was engulfed with flames during an electronic music event on Friday night.

Friends have identified Griffin Sean Madden, 21-year-old Jenny Morris and Vanessa Plotkin among those who have not yet been accounted for.

Authorities have confirmed that nine people died and 24 people are missing after the Oakland Ghost Ship burst into flames around 11.30pm during an event featuring musician Golden Donna's 100% Silk West Coast tour.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ts-dozens-missing-Oakland-warehouse-fire.html

 

[human]

So many people hate rules for buildings, They try to skate by them and get incensed if somene questione problems. Some building inspectors, or maybe all, have to be scared because of threats.

I know the building inspector when I lived in MN had many terrifying threats.

Even now where I live in a Third World country, there are some rules. People have figured out safety is a good idea but some people are not going to have the govt tell them anything

 

[Jax49]

GHOST SHIP FIRE
MUSICIANS, ARTISTS GATHER TO GRIEVE THROUGH MUSIC AFTER OAKLAND FIRE


http://abc7news.com/news/musicians-...eve-through-music-after-oakland-fire/1638818/

A lot of people are left not knowing what happened to their loved ones, while others are already in mourning. In the close knit artist community of Oakland, many spaces like the Ghost Ship exist, housing creatives who love to share their work.

Three DJ's performing at the venue witnessed the fire and decided to go on with their show in order to help others grieve through music, the same type of music that was celebrated at the Ghost Ship warehouse.

They say they knew the venue had fire risks, but they liked performing there because the warehouse offered them the artistic freedom they were looking for.

One DJ we spoke with says he lost six friends in the fire, and from what he could tell from talking to people, there could be dozens more.

 

[Thyme]

This is absolutely heartbreaking. These young people had no chance in that firetrap. I don't understand how these venues work...would they not have to have a license to host such an event if they are advertising and charging money? Wouldn't there have to be an inspection prior to receiving a license?

Not sure if this has been posted...many photo's and some posters advertising events. http://www.oaklandghostship.com/

My condolences to all affected by this horrific tragedy.

Thoughts and prayers going out to Gitana and family.

 

[Jax49]

Apologies if already posted. Story reports he should have applied for permit for party, but didn't. And, if he had it would have obviously been denied.

EX-EMPLOYEES SAY GHOST SHIP FOUNDER DISREGARDED FIRE HAZARD WARNINGS


http://abc7news.com/news/ex-employe...der-disregarded-fire-hazard-warnings/1638649/

A key person in this case is Derick Ion, who founded the Ghost Ship Artist Collective and ran it at the warehouse. The Ghost Ship served as a work and live space for creatives in the area. People who used to work for Ion tell the I-Team police and fire officials warned him about the fire hazard at the building but he reportedly laughed off those warnings.

 

[Ian]

This was posted on a Reddit forum, and about an hour later was taken down. It is allegedly from a person inside the Ghost Ship Warehouse when the fire started and could be a first-hand account.

 

[Jax49]

This was posted on a Reddit forum, and about an hour later was taken down. It is allegedly from a person inside the Ghost Ship Warehouse when the fire started and could be a first-hand account.

I wonder why it was deleted. It had already been picked up by MSM (well, at least the DailyMail). It sounded authentic to me; the part about a man yelling "this is the exit" gave me chills.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...g-account-escaped-Oakland-warehouse-fire.html

 

[katydid23]

wow. that must have been a total nightmare...

 

[Jax49]

I heard one live interview (sorry I don't remember names or station), but it was a man who was at the party earlier. He said the way he got to the second floor was a steep plank with toe holes.

He was one of the lucky ones and was outside when the fire started.

 

[Thyme]

Apparently Derick Ion was renting out so called studio space in this building for 500.00 a pop. I only have a screenshot so unsure if I can post it. I wonder if he has gone into hiding yet?

 

[Ian]

This is a portion of what I have gleaned so far from what information is out there.

This warehouse is owned by an elderly woman who rented the building out to a single person, Derick Ion. Then Derick sublet space in the warehouse to local craftspeople and artists who could no longer afford to live in nearby San Francisco or even in Oakland.

Derick Ion charged from $200. per month up to $600. a month in rent, collecting from 20-50 different people. The number of renters varies wildly depending on the source, and is probably fluid. Derick advertised rental space by flyers, on Craigslist and by word-of-mouth. Previous tenants claim he specifically told them if asked to claim that they only rented studio space there to work on projects and never lived in the warehouse.

The lower portion of the warehouse had a small kitchen area where portable stoves used propane bottles for fuel. There was a common lounge area here and much of the rest of the area was portioned off with makeshift dividers into living space/studios. At times up to 6 small travel trailers were wedged into the first floor too. The décor and furnishings, even the space dividers were mostly cobbled together from pallets, old plywood, driftwood, used furniture, and various rugs and wall hangings. Almost none of it was fire retardant in nature and some things were very flammable in nature.

There was one normal set of steps up to the second floor, and those did meet fire code, but they were in the back of the building on the far side from the walk-thru door downstairs. Those steps led up to the second floor and were not widely known about to patrons attending any of the events hosted at the warehouse.
Studies of prior fires prove that when panicked people will instinctively always attempt to exit the way they came in, and for most of those in attendance Friday night that would be back down the narrow wooden steps and ramp combination.

There were multiple windows upstairs, but outside photographs of the building and eyewitness accounts show that most of those upper windows had what appears to be chain-link fence sections over them, preventing their use as exits.

This place was crammed full of all kinds of ‘stuff’, and no fire alarms, no sprinklers. It was only meant to be a warehouse to store things, not living space, not artist studios, and especially not a venue for any type of entertainment. Those attending had no idea at all what they were walking into, they are alive and beautiful, bright and artistic- just there to dance and have fun.

That this happened makes me angry and indescribably sad. In at least 2 other fires in similar venues, the window of life from the time that the fire is first noted, is about 90 seconds, and less than 60 seconds to walk out undamaged.

Anywhere you go, it only takes a moment- note the exits. All of them. Make this a habit.

http://www.oaklandghostship.com/

 

[CARIIS]

This is absolutely heartbreaking. These young people had no chance in that firetrap. I don't understand how these venues work...would they not have to have a license to host such an event if they are advertising and charging money? Wouldn't there have to be an inspection prior to receiving a license?

Not sure if this has been posted...many photo's and some posters advertising events. http://www.oaklandghostship.com/

My condolences to all affected by this horrific tragedy.

Thoughts and prayers going out to Gitana and family.

From above link

Before it gets taken down I want you guys to see some of this. This is identical to a regular club. People break laws all the time. I am hung up on how blatant all this was and went on for so long. Apparently, he decided to open a club - that simple.

Look at this stuff:

One wont copy and paste its like some lady that plays with fire

In another ,there is an indoor campfire

Looks like first concert was in Jul15

.

 

[Ian]

Interesting to read all the accounts from ex-tenants, they claim he rented to from 20 to 50 people at a time and charged from $200. a month to $600. a month. The entertainment could not have been a big income, most of the posters I've seen have the cover charge at $5.00 per person.

Still, doing the math the monthly rental for Derick ran from a low of $4000. per month all the way up to $30,000. a month using the stated variables.

 

[Ian]

More first hand accounts of what it was like inside the Ghost Ship when the fire started.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Survivors-of-deadly-Oakland-fire-say-they-are-10689539.php

 

[CARIIS]

He just kinda hits me as the type who would abscond

At this point I do not understand why he has not been arrested. Or are building code violations not jail time?

Its like I just decided to open a bar here - aint how it works, and that is pretty common knowledge.

local background guy who is up street said it has been going on for years - in the summer there was dancing on the roof.

"this ain't no new party" his words.

He described grand pianos sitting on the sidewalk .

 

[CARIIS]

Hi Trigger,

have not seen you a while!!

 

[JanetElaine]

Oh god. I am just now catching up with this thread due to different time zones. So please forgive me if there has been more news, but I am praying for you all, Gitana.

Edit: this was in reply to Gitana's post about her sister-in-law, the quote did not come through.

 

[Jax49]

More first hand accounts of what it was like inside the Ghost Ship when the fire started.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Survivors-of-deadly-Oakland-fire-say-they-are-10689539.php

Thanks for posting. From the link. BBM

Some people may have had their lives saved by a typo.

One man who had planned to attend Friday’s show, who asked that his name not be used, said friends he intended to meet there didn’t make it because of a mapping error on a Facebook listing.

The map on the Facebook event page marked the site on 31st Street instead of 31st Avenue, sending the friends to the wrong place.

“There’s a bunch of people who didn’t show,” he said. “There could have been a lot more casualties.”

 

[Ian]

He just kinda hits me as the type who would abscond

At this point I do not understand why he has not been arrested. Or are building code violations not jail time?

Its like I just decided to open a bar here - aint how it works, and that is pretty common knowledge.

local background guy who is up street said it has been going on for years - in the summer there was dancing on the roof.

"this ain't no new party" his words.

He described grand pianos sitting on the sidewalk .

For me, after seeing the odd facebook post he left and then just nothing. If I had posted something like that I would have gone back and deleted it, or posted something more appropriate. Not sure why Derick just doesn't delete or change the settings on his facebook account. It is almost like he posted that last bit and then either ran or .......something. Strikes me as a weird thing.