Oakland fire's deaths climb to 33

Searchers expect more bodies; kin told to provide DNA

Cleanup continues Sunday at the scene of a warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif., where dozens of people died late Friday.
Cleanup continues Sunday at the scene of a warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif., where dozens of people died late Friday.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The death toll from a fire that tore through a warehouse hosting a late-night dance party jumped to 33 on Sunday as firefighters painstakingly combed rubble for others believed to still be missing.

Less than half of the charred remains of the partly collapsed structure had been searched, and crews expected to find more bodies as they advanced, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said. He identified seven of the victims: Cash Askew, 22; David Cline, 35; Nick Gomez-Hall, 25; Sara Hoda, 30; Travis Hough, 35; Donna Kellogg, 32; and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32. An eighth identified victim is a 17-year-old whose name was not released.

Anxious family members were told they may have to provide DNA samples from toothbrushes or hair brushes to help identify other remains.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said she was not authorized to announce a formal criminal investigation, but she said Alameda County district attorney's investigators are on the scene.

"The scope of this tragedy is tremendous," Schaaf said.

The building, known as the "Ghost Ship," had been carved into artist studios and was an illegal home for a rotating cast of a dozen or more people, according to former denizens who said it was a cluttered deathtrap with few exits, piles of wood and a mess of snaking electric cords.

"If you were going there for a party, you wouldn't be aware of the maze that you have to go through to get out," said Danielle Boudreaux, a former friend of the couple who she said ran the warehouse.

As many as 100 people were there for a party Friday night when the fire broke out just before midnight. Fire officials were still investigating the cause of the blaze, but they said clutter fueled the flames, and there were no sprinklers and few exits.

Boudreaux said she had a falling out with one of the operators of the Satya Yuga collective when she convinced his partner's parents and sister about a year ago that the warehouse was a dangerous place for the couple's three children to live.

The couple rented out five recreational vehicles and other nooks on the ground floor as living spaces. A rickety staircase led to a second floor where concerts were held.

"Calling it a staircase gives you the idea that it was a set of stairs. It was not," Boudreaux said. "It was random pieces of wood put together to create something that you could get up to the top floor on. But it was not what most people would consider a staircase. It was like a jimmy-rigged, makeshift staircase. As soon as you stepped on it, it wobbled all over the place."

Former residents said there frequently was no electricity or running water.

Oakland planning officials opened an investigation last month after repeated complaints from neighbors who said trash was piling up and people were illegally living in the building, which was zoned as a warehouse. An inspector who went to the premises couldn't get inside, said Darin Ranelletti of the Oakland Planning Department.

The city had not confirmed people lived there, but a former resident said she had been lured in part by reasonable rents in a region beset with a housing shortage and exorbitant leases driven by the tech boom.

Shelley Mack said she wasn't told the residence was illegal until after she moved in a couple years ago and stayed for four to five months, paying about $700 a month. She said she was instructed to tell visitors it was a 24-hour workspace for artists, and when outsiders or inspectors planned to visit, residents would scurry to hide clothes and bedding.

"It's like a horror house. Just horrors in there," she said.

To a first-time visitor, though, the labyrinth of uniquely designed spaces was "stunning," said Alastair Boone, a University of California, Berkeley student who arrived at the party with five friends around 11 p.m.

Photographs from before the fire showed that the Bohemian community of musicians, painters, woodworkers, dancers and other artists had decorated the scene with Tibetan prayer flags, Christmas lights and scores of wooden statues of Buddha, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, elephants and dragons that sat atop pianos and turntables. Tapestries hung from the walls, mannequin legs and arms stuck out from the ceiling and a small wooden spot of floor was used for art performances.

"It was obvious to me everyone who lives there cared about each other and were invested in a space they made a home," Boone said.

Information for this article was contributed by Olga Rodriguez, Tim Reiterman, Jonathan J. Cooper, Terry Chea and Janie Har of The Associated Press.

A Section on 12/05/2016

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