Death Toll Continues To Rise In Deadly Oakland Fire And It’s Beyond Tragic
As if our country hadn’t recently seen enough fires to last us a lifetime and then some, Northern California is now devastated over a heartbreaking death toll that will almost certainly continue to climb. With a total of 36 lives lost in Friday night’s fire at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, the unfortunate event is now considered to be the city’s deadliest building fire to date.
At roughly 11:30PM on Friday night, a fast blazing fire engulfed the Oakland warehouse known as the Ghost Ship.
What was once a warehouse had in recent years been serving the local community as an art space and living area. While firefighters reported that the building had no sprinkler system and was not fit for residential space, somewhere between 20 to 25 people were reportedly living at the Ghost Ship. Previous to the fire, the warehouse served as a community spot for artists in the area.
While it's still unclear how the fire started, Oakland's Fire Department stated that they firmly believe the origin of the fire began in the back of the building.
As of Monday, about 70% of the wreckage inside the warehouse had been cleared, although firefighters were forced to take breaks due to the unsound structure of the building. Those working diligently to clear out the warehouse have cause for concern over whether or not the building could collapse while they are inside of it.
At the time of the fire, an electronic dance party was taking place on the second floor of the warehouse.
Ranging in ages, a victim as young as 17 years old has been identified amongst the 36 victims in the Oakland fire. So far families have identified 22 of the victims, with others requiring DNA and dental records to be positively identified. While not of them may be related Friday's fire, there is a current list of 50 people who are still unaccounted for.
With many wondering how people were even legally living in the warehouse, the heartbreaking tragedy has shed light on the area's lack of affordable housing.
From what's been reported, we know that the police have been called to the warehouse in the past. Just over one week ago the leaseholder Derick Ion Almena was approached over the amount of debris and trash that was seen around the building. Almena was said to be away from the building at the time of the fire, but depending on what's found during the investigation, he could be facing possible murder charges.
To hear more about the details surrounding the devastating fire, watch the video below brought to you by Yahoo! News Now:
As the death toll climbs, more and more residents in the Oakland area have come to leave flowers, candles and photos for their loved ones that have been lost in the fire. Our hearts go out to those who knew any of the victims of this tragedy.
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Writer for Only In Your State. Scribbling about all things New York and Buffalo related while also keeping you updated on the latest travel news! Inquiries: Lmonroe@onlyinyourstate.com
