Similarities striking between 2 deadly fires
OAKLAND » The similarities between two deadly Oakland fires that occurred nearly four months apart are striking: Each involved a dangerously dilapidated building with an absentee landlord and renters desperate for affordable housing in the expensive San Francisco Bay Area.
The fire Monday at a building for recovering addicts and people who had been homeless occurred despite promises by city officials to crack down on substandard housing after three dozen partygoers died in December at a warehouse known as the Ghost Ship that had been illegally converted into live and work spaces for artists.
Four people died in the latest fire — just three days after city building inspectors found multiple fire code violations, including inoperable sprinklers and alarms, at the building that houses about 80 people.
Officials also noted a lack of fire extinguishers and overloaded electrical cords during the inspection prompted by a referral from firefighters who responded to an unspecified call in February. The owner was given 30 days to correct the problems.
Attorney James Cook, who represents the nonprofit organization that rented units to the tenants, said he had complained to the city about clogged toilets and disgusting bathrooms, exposed wires and water an inch deep on the ground floor.
“It’s like Ghost Ship, but worse,” Cook told The Associated Press on Monday.
The building, where many residents did not have their own kitchens, had been the target of 20 complaints to the city building department over the past 10 years. One involved a floor that was caving in because of badly leaking pipes. Others dealt with broken smoke detectors and no working heat in the building in the past year.
Residents described a filthy place where maintenance was neglected and trash piled up. But they said they had no choice about living there.
“At least the rats are gone,” Angela Taylor, 62, said after the fire. She had moved to the building in June and said she paid $550 a month for a room on the first floor.
Kirsten Evans, 52, said she paid $1,100 a month for a small studio without a kitchen. She moved in three years ago after she was evicted from an apartment where her landlord planned to dramatically raise her rent.
The building’s owner, Keith Kim, and his attorney did not respond to repeated calls requesting comment.