First hope, then horror as victims among an eclectic group are named
OAKLAND — They went out for music and warm companionship in the cool East Oakland night.
The students, artists and musicians who gathered at the Oakland warehouse dubbed the “Ghost Ship” made up a loose tribe of young people who reflect the diversity of the East Bay. Some sported tattoos of antlers, deer and balloons. Some had hair dyed blue or green. Most were in their 20s or 30s.
By Sunday night, eight were identified as among the 33 known victims in the deadli-
est fire in the city’s history. As dozens of families continued a heartbreaking and anxious wait for news, authorities identified these victims: Cash Askew, 22, Oakland; David Cline, 24, Oakland; Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Coronado; Sara Hoda, 30, Walnut Creek; Travis Hough, 35, Oakland; Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland; and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, Hayward.
The fire’s grim death toll also hit close to home for authorities — the son of a deputy for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office was among the fatalities, according to the Sheriff’s Office. No details were released about him.
Among the dead was Travis Hough, an electronic music artist, whose father, Brian, used a photograph of happier times to announce his son’s death on Facebook. The picture showed Brian Hough smiling with his son in front of a scenic mountain landscape, Travis’ arm around his father’s shoulders.
Donna Kellogg, 32, was described by Josh Howes, an old boyfriend who went to the fire scene early Sunday, as “super awesome, fiery, intelligent, redhead who wanted to be a healer.” Howes, who dated Kellogg for four to five years, said she was studying nutrition. He last spoke to her about a week ago and said an acquaintance called him about the fire.
“When you’re confronted with stuff like that, you go flat,” Howes said. “You go into vigilance mode.”
Some who went to the Ghost Ship, like Draven McGill, were quite young — just 17 — and drawn to the electronic dance music scene. His friends viewed McGill as resourceful, someone with street smarts who might have made it out. But they feared their hopes might be dashed.
A close friend of McGill’s, Kai Thomas, 16, said he was told that McGill died from smoke inhalation. Authorities said a 17-year-old whose identity they did not release was among the victims, but it was not clear whether McGill was that person.
For families and friends, Sunday was an ordeal of waiting in which hope gave way to horror. Authorities asked families to save samples of their loved ones’ DNA — such as hair from a comb — in a paper bag. The request drove home the wrenching fact that officials may need genetic information to identify those found at the scene.
On social media such as Instagram and Facebook, victims’ personal pages turned into memorials and places for updates as loved ones consoled each other.
A few of the missing were international, including Hanna Henrikka Ruax from Finland, who posted on Facebook in November that she was heading to Oakland: “Adventure calling!”
She is believed to have gone to the party with Alex Frantz Ghassan, a freelance KQED producer who described himself on his Facebook page as “Director. Producer. Father. Haitian.” On his hands were tattoos of his children, Alex and Lucy, according to information provided by friends at the warehouse.
“We’re just hoping to hear some good news from the hospital,” said Yuri Kundin, a friend of the couple, as he left a police substation on Sunday.
An electronic music artist who was scheduled to perform at Friday night’s warehouse party, Chelsea Faith Dolan, of San Francisco, remained among the missing. A passionate musician with close ties to the Bay Area dance music community, she goes by the stage name Cherushii and has been a producer, DJ and remixer for more than a decade, according to her SoundCloud account.
Others who hadn’t been heard from included:
Ara Christina Jo was described by friends as an allaround creative. She is the co-organizer at East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest and works at The Ink Tone in Berkeley.
“She’s an incredibly energetic person, who can cheer up a room just by existing — a lot of energy packed in that small body,” said Jeremy Erickson, a print specialist at The Ink Stone.
Barrett Clark, a sound engineer at Freelance, lives in Oakland and grew up in Santa Rosa, according to his Facebook page. Clark is “a true pillar of the Bay Area DIY music scene for many, many years,” said a friend who asked not to be named.
“Barrett is the kind of person who would hurt himself lugging the best mobile sound system you ever heard to your show just to make it sound incredible,” the friend said.
Ben Runnels, also known as Charlie Prowler, is a singer who founded the band Introflirt.
According to the band’s website, its “croonwave” style of music was the result of Runnels “spending countless weekends in an Oakland piano bar, honing his chops with mid century jazz standards, realize a vintage flair and rich vocal technique rarely heard in electronic music.”
Alex Vega, 22, from San Bruno, was believed to have been at the Ghost Ship with his girlfriend, Michela Gregory, 20, of South San Francisco, a sales associate at Urban Outfitters who is studying special education at San Francisco State University, according to her Facebook page.
“We’re on pins and needles,” said Alex’s brother, Dan Vega, a 36-year-old mechanic who lives in Oakley with his family. “My chest hurts. It’s a heartache kind of chest pain.”
Friends took to Facebook on Sunday to play mixes of Johnny Igaz, 34, who works at Pandora and is also a DJ who goes by the name of “Nackt.”
Jennifer Tanouye, 31, had set up a nail salon on the second floor of the Ghost Ship warehouse. Her best friend, Oakland resident Ronnie Casey, described her as a vibrant, fashionable and beautiful woman. She worked for Shazam, a digital music service. “She was a light,” he said. “To know her was to love her.”
Nicholas Walrath, a promising young lawyer, had spent the past two months working as an associate for Durie Tangri, a small civil litigation firm in San Francisco.
Ragesh Tangri in a statement emailed to this newspaper on Sunday wrote, “In the short time he had been at our firm, Nick already had shown himself to be a fine lawyer as well as a good and caring person.” He added that the firm’s thoughts were with Walrath’s family.