Plenty of warnings came before U.S. fatal fire

Officials received complaints about ‘Ghost Ship’ building before 36 partygoers died

OAKLAND, CALIF.— City and state officials fielded years of complaints about dangerous conditions, drugs, neglected children, trash, thefts and squabbles at the illegally converted warehouse where 36 partygoers were killed in a weekend fire, with inspectors knocking on the door as recently as two weeks before.

With all the attention from police, child welfare authorities, building inspectors and others, some of those who saw what was going on at the underground artists colony say they figured time and again that authorities would shut it all down. But they never did. “It makes me so sad that all this has been there this whole long time,” neighbour Phyllis Waukazoo said. “This was an accident waiting to happen. That could have been prevented.”

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf deflected questions about whether more aggressive action by authorities could have prevented the tragedy at the cluttered, ramshackle building known as the Ghost Ship.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and prosecutors said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges.

Record searches and interviews by The Associated Press indicate that the couple who leased the warehouse and turned it into rented living spaces and artist studios, Derick Ion Almena and Micah Allison, were already under scrutiny by several agencies.

Most recently, Oakland city inspectors received complaints on Nov. 13 about the warehouse being remodelled into residences and on Nov. 14 about an “illegal interior building structure,” city records showed Tuesday.

City officials sent a violation notice for the first complaint and opened an investigation for the second one.

Darin Ranelletti, interim city building chief, told reporters an inspector went to the Ghost Ship on Nov. 17 to follow up on the complaint. But the inspector was unable to enter the building or talk to occupants, and left, Ranelletti said. City officials would not give further details.

Under the Oakland city code, building officials and fire marshals need court permission to enter commercial lodgings if the owner or manager refuses access.

The blaze is the most lethal building fire in the U.S. in more than a decade and stories of victims’ last minutes began to emerge Monday. Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Ray Kelly said that some of the victims texted relatives, “I’m going to die,” and “I love you.”