Criminal probe of Oakland fire launched as toll hits 36
Oakland, Calif. — As criminal investigators begin to examine who is to blame for one of the worst fires in modern California history, Oakland authorities halted their grim search for bodies in the ruins of a warehouse blaze on Monday due to structural weaknesses in the fire-gutted building.
“For us as firefighters, working under a wobbly, potentially collapsing exterior wall is extremely dangerous,” said Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton. “We will not put our firefighters in danger at this point, and we will not put Alameda County sheriff’s (personnel) in the precarious situation with us.”
Thirty-six bodies have been recovered, but officials halted recovery operations just after midnight when a crew that was surveying the destruction from a neighboring rooftop noticed that the front wall was leaning 3 inches toward the center of the building, Drayton said. Most of the bodies have been recovered in the center of the building.
As of Monday morning, about 70% of the building had been searched, officials said.
“We absolutely believe the number of fire fatalities will increase,” Drayton said.
Authorities believe the fire began in the back of the building, but they still have no idea what caused it.
Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will plan how to search the building, Drayton said. Key areas have been quarantined for additional investigation, she said.
The building was leased by a group calling itself the Satya Yuga Collective, managed by Derick Almena. Almena, 46, who lived on the second floor of the warehouse with Micah Allison, considered himself a “realms creator” and built found-object sculptures and stage sets for musical gatherings.
Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy Tya Modste said of the 36 victims recovered, 11 have been identified.
Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, said the district attorney’s office has sent a team of criminal investigators to work alongside the sheriff’s arson task force and the Oakland Police Department.
The investigators are working to uncover any potential criminal activity that may have led to the blaze.
“We have 36 families, not only grieving for their lost ones, but also they want to have answers and we as a city collectively are working to find those answers,” said Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson. “We want to provide answers not only for the families, but for our community.”
President Barack Obama said in a statement Monday that his administration was in close contact with local and state officials to monitor the response.
“While we still don’t know the full toll of this disaster, we do know that an American community has been devastated, and many people — including young men and women with their whole futures ahead of them — have tragically lost their lives,” Obama said.
Noting that Oakland is one of the “most diverse and creative cities” in the nation, Obama pledged the “unwavering support of the American people” as residents there recover.