Oakland firetrap went 30 years uninspected

OAKLAND inspectors hadn’t set foot in the doomed “Ghost Ship” warehouse, where 36 people died in a blaze last week, for at least 30 years — even though complaints poured in as recently as last month, officials said Wednesday.

The city’s interim planning and building director said none of the reports about the building warranted city workers stepping inside — so they never did.

“We typically work with property owners to get permission to access to property,” Darin Ranelletti told reporters.

“If they refuse, we would need a warrant from a judge.”

But inspectors were on the scene less than a month ago, on Nov. 17 and 18, checking out reports about an illegal structure in an adjacent lot, Ranelletti said.

City records show inspectors noted the property was “not kept clean” and had trash, abandoned equipment and graffiti.

It was due for another check Jan. 16, 2017.

That was just one of several recent red flags about the warehouse, which went up in flames during an illegal rave last Friday night.

The city of Oakland had been alerted at least three times in the past two years about trash and debris around the facility — which housed an artist collective, but was also illegally used as a residence and music venue.

In the past 30 years, about two dozen code complaints came in about the building.

Even so, inspectors never went into the warehouse that one former tenant called a “deathtrap” for its clutter. The building had no fire alarms or sprinklers.

Ranelletti said inspectors followed proper protocol for the complaints they received. He said the city would eventually release all records relating to issues at the warehouse.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but investigators have zeroed in on a refrigerator that one survivor saw in flames before the blaze ravaged the rave.