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.
It was definitely an emotional day yesterday starting in the morning with this news. As soon as I discovered it was in Oakland, I freaked out as my daughter is active in the music scene.
I reached out to her immediately and cried when she answered. Since I live hundreds of miles away, I don’t know what I would have done had she not answered her phone. My heart goes out to those whose sons, daughters and friends have not responded to phone calls and messages.
There has to be a way so this doesn’t keep happening-
A little premature to start laying blame. The Owners were put on notice a month ago. Did they secure the building? Not known. Maybe they did, and these people were ignoring it. Maybe they did not, and these people were not aware. Let’s see what the investigation yields before laying any blame. Tragic, but trying to be positive maybe thousands of people living similarly will now be alert to such situations and take action to prevent more tragedies. As an example, it seems one guy grabbed a fire extinguisher, but it did not function. A 10 year old fire extinguisher is usually useless. Always good to upgrade those regularly if you are in a place vulnerable to fire.
Edit: Reading now that the building manager and his wife collected rent from artists in the space, and held parties and concerts to raise money for rent. The building was zoned as a warehouse, but many people lived there illegally it seems. And then the manager posted this on Facebook:
"Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that 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."
WTF? More worried about his building and work? That’s a pretty dumb post, especially for a person who could be facing serious criminal charges if he had been notified not to use the building, which it appears at first glance might be the case. Still not confirmed though, awaiting further investigation, but one thing for sure, that was one dumbass Facebook post.
This is from today’s SF Chronicle and one can only imagine the horror the victims felt when they realized were almost certainly doomed.
People who had been in the building described it as a warren of divided spaces with a narrow, twisting staircase to the second level, made out of pallets and other bits of wood, where some of the victims apparently were trapped. Several recreational vehicles were parked on the ground level.
Deputy Fire Chief said
“We went in about 20 yards on the ground floor” but were repulsed by the heat, smoke and danger from the indoor hodgepodge of hand-built furniture and artist work spaces, Hoffmann said. “It was a labyrinth.” When the roof collapsed all the way to the first floor, all hope of quickly getting deep inside was lost.
Very very sad. The description of the place sounds like it was littered with close-in standing dry wood like how you would build a very large standing camp fire before lighting it. So sorry for its victims and their families.
It would have been very dry wood and I think I heard that stairways were of pallets and other odd pieces of wood. Oakland is only eight miles way by air, and there has been the smell of smoke in the air since Friday.
Somewhere in the recesses of my memory I recall fire officials coming in and talking to our elementary school classes re fire safety, making sure there is free and ready access to fire exits, planning safe escape when the unthinkable happens, etc. I don’t know if there is any similar fire education/awareness in schools now.
Yes, any time you are in a crowded venue, especially an older building, a priority should be to look for fire exits or escape routes.
Especially in an old building that has only stacked pallets in place of a stairway to ground level. No doubt it could not handle a sudden rush of bodies trying to get out.
…all of which get in the way of American business, so Trump’s going to get rid of all of them.
Looks like a good time to invest in asbestos and lead paint again!
Absolutely. A common feature of multiple tragedies is lack of exits. Time after time, a tragedy will occur, and the common feature is the exit issue. In Florida at that nightclub, there were 2 exits, and the gunman was able to herd hundreds into the back of the building with no way out, giving him a killing field for a long time. In this case, pictures of the space are available. Not only were there no exits, but the space was a warren of small, windowless sections with wooden, fabric, and multiple flammable items. When the fire started, just FINDING the door would have been a horrorshow. The owner should be prosecuted and go to jail for multiple years for the clear violations of probably every building code that there is. And I believe multiple reports of concern about violations of safety codes were filed.
This is a wakeup call. ANOTHER Triangle Shirt-Waist Factory incident.
Those were on fire early in the process.
The building managers (a couple) as well, they allowed people to live there illegally, plus they held these PAID parties without permits to raise rent money. Totally illegal. Then the asshole male of the couple posts that he grieves over losing so much of his life’s collection of material things. Jail time please.
There is a series of pics available of the interior (possibly taken down by now). A dreadful warren of flammable crap. Jail time. Fines.
But more importantly, will Oakland take the real lesson, that the many other firetraps that others talk about should be inspected and PROACTIVELY dealt with. The Triangle Shirt-Waist fire (are you familiar with that?) created a climate of reform in building codes. Much of those lessons from 100 years ago seem to have been forgotten.