Oakland Fire Kills 36 People

A party quickly turned deadly when a fire erupted in a warehouse which lies in Oakland, California.

An “electronic dance party” was being held on December 2nd with many people in attendance. The blaze’s nascent came quickly and unexpectedly, some party-goers were about to enter the warehouse.

Prior to the tragedy, Oakland city officials received alerts regarding the “illegal construction” occurring within the warehouse, which also failed at having permits to allow residency or events. However, inspectors “couldn’t gain access to the site” (The Atlantic).

The man who leased the establishment was well aware of the risks the building had. There was no running water or plumbing of any kind within the warehouse. The fact that a load of flammable materials were strewn about the place was brought into the light, he was cognizant of the risk for a fire.

Smoke and heat surrounded the building as many people could not make their way out. It’s been confirmed sprinklers failed to activate.  A survivor, John Evanofski, described how the group could “feel the heat of the flames” (CNN).

The fire took over the building, eventually causing the roof to collapse onto the second floor. Shortly afterwards, the second floor proceeded to cave in on the first floor, crushing many of the trapped victims.

Firefighters and police officers arrived on sight and started their process of saving the people inside. Removing debris proved a tedious process as the firefighters were scooping it up in a bucket and relocating it to a dump truck to be taken away.

After successfully putting out the fire, the building’s temperature was still too hot for any of the emergency responders to enter. Hospitals received few injured victims, “it appears people made it our or they didn’t make it out” (NBC).

Oakland fire chief Melinda Drayton confirms the warehouse fire was “one of the most deadly fires in the city’s history” (CNN).

The inferno killed thirty-six people, many in their 20’s and 30’s, some resided from foreign countries. Families of the sufferers were told it would take time to identify the victims as the fire charred the bodies to the worse extent. Families were asked to collect items such as combs and toothbrushes in order to collect DNA.

Many organizations including the city’s major sport teams like the  Oakland A’s, Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders have set up fundraising efforts in order to help the families of the fire victims.