US needy lose homes in blaze
Temporary housing unit had no fire safety devices
OAKLAND: Awakened by screams of “fire”, Michael Jones bolted out of bed in the predawn darkness at the dilapidated Oakland apartment building he calls home, instinctively pounded on the doors of his elderly neighbours and ushered them to safety, walkers and all.
Jones, 43, then found Princess, the “house” pit bull, cowering in the backyard, and the two ran out the front door as glass shattered from the heat.
A few hours later, he and the dog stood across the street, staring at the smouldering wooden structure that housed some 80 lowincome residents.
Jones then said a prayer of gratitude for surviving the fire that killed three people and hurt four others, including two children, even as one remained missing.
The Alameda County coroner identified one of the victims as 64yearold Edwarn Anderson, of Oakland.
Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Erik Logan said some people were hanging from windows and others were in fire escapes when firefighters arrived.
The fire broke out in the rundown neighbourhood nearly three months after a warehouse called the Ghost Ship caught fire and killed 36 people attending an unlicensed concert about 8km away.
The fires have raised questions about the use of some buildings in the city for residences amid a shortage of affordable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area.
City records show building officials verified complaints filed by the nonprofit organisation that rents most of the building about deferred maintenance.
The owner, Keith Kim, was sent a notice of violation on March 2 over complaints of large amounts of trash and debris, building materials and furniture behind the property.
The building department also has an open investigation into complaints of “no working heat throughout the building, electrical issues and a large pest infestation,” city records show.
Fire inspectors visited the building three days before the blaze and found it lacked fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and a working fire sprinkler system, among other violations, according to documents released by the city. — AP