OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a deadly fire in warehouse party in Oakland, California(all times local):
Authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area say they are prepared to deal with up to 40 deaths after a fire broke out at a warehouse party in Oakland, California.
Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly says Saturday that nine people are confirmed dead, and that he expects that number to rise.
Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed says some people escaped and that between 50 and 100 people were at the warehouse at the time of the fire.
The warehouse had been partitioned into several artist studios and was packed with furniture, mannequins, lamps, and other objects. Deloche-Reed says the building didn’t have a clear exit path and that the only way out of the second floor was a makeshift stairwell made of pallets.
Fire officials say the building was not equipped with sprinklers.
Kelly says firefighters are still extinguishing hotspots from the blaze that sparked around 11:30 p.m. Friday. The cause is unclear.
A tragic reminder of the value of building codes and other legal building requirements when it comes to things like sprinkler systems, multiple means of access and egress, standards for numbers and locations of staircases, and other matters that contribute to safety of person and property.
Please, people, be careful where you go.
That’s right. From that description, I doubt if even the subdivision was approved, let alone approved for crowds. A terrible thing.
We have a bunch of these spots here in Oakland. Some are in people’s basements, some are in warehouses. The city’s been cracking down on them for years. I have a finger in the music biz, and go to them sometimes. They can get pretty crazy. But fire…jesus. It’s overwhelming. One by one, friends are checking in on Facebook, but I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop and my phone to ring. Just overwhelming. And so damn sad.
When I was young and living in the city I went to dozens of after hours loft parties like this. Artists and musicians had them all the time. Always in funky old warehouses, often abandoned. Just like this one. We knew they were totally illegal. Often the cops would come and break them up, but we did not care. We were young,and having fun. Fire was the last thing on our mind. There for the grace of god…
If a jurisdiction has a known problwm why aren’t there numerous PSAs? Notices in CIty papets? Flyers plastered all over the neighborhood? Knowing a venue is “illegal” sounds like a bureaucracy as very public danger.